Hidan
by sakikui
Summary: How a boy raised as a pacifist becomes a psycho killer. My invented backstory.
1. Religion is Everything

**A/N: Hello everyone, and welcome to my story. I want to clarify a few things before we get going. Due to the nature of the fic, there are many OCs. Yugakure was a bit of a blank slate, which was both exciting and terrifying for a fanfic writer. I wrote this kinda as a personal challenge to myself. I'm very interested in religions of all kinds: practiced, mythology, and fictional religions. I was struck by the realization that Jashin was the only god named in the Naruto universe. We see other people engaged in vague religious-like activities, but the only example of a truly devout person was Hidan. So because of this I find his character-not a favorite in a traditional sense-but definitely a character that was interesting to me. I challenged myself to write a backstory where Hidan and Jashinism "worked." As always I have the whole draft written, so chapters are being posted as I do final edits.**

 **It's got what you'd expect from a story about Hidan, so though I will strive for class, do not read if you're going to be distressed by killings, also implied self-harm and assisted suicide. There's also a rape, not described but you know it's happening.**

 **My goal is to write something thoughtful, not gory torture porn, so if that's what you're after you're going to be disappointed.**

* * *

Hidan's mother placed a plate of food in front of him, a healthy portion of rice and vegetables, and they bowed to pray. It was the same prayer as always, some variation of "May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all." They prayed to be relieved of their carnal desires, to achieve enlightenment, and to be one with all of nature and all beings. Whatever that meant.

After dinner, Hidan's mother lit the incense and chanted. She was "losing herself to find herself," she told Hidan.

Hidan completed his daily chores: He tended the vegetables and the rice paddies. He milked the goats and collected eggs from the chickens. And for each pint of milk and egg he took, he blessed the animal from which it came. And he blessed the vegetable plants and the rice paddies. And he blessed the caterpillars and the slugs and the rabbits which he constantly drove from the fields because all creatures great and small deserve a happy life. Before bed, he placed milk outside their door for the stray cats.

Hidan said his nightly prayer and laid down on his sleeping mat beside the dogs, listening to his mother and her yoga instructor chanting and praying loudly together, until his thoughts of Nirvana drowned out all else and he fell asleep.

"Religion is everything, Hidan," his mother would remind him daily. "Without religion, all our lives would fall apart. Whatever you do in life, my boy, you must never turn your back on your faith." She reminded him of this most fervently when the heathen shinobi children would run by with their kunai and katana and other instruments of sin, weaving their hand signs and practicing their dark arts. For shinobi were instruments of murder, and murder was the cardinal sin for which the Universe could never forgive, so Hidan's mother said.

So Hidan never got to play with the other children of Yugakare. The only time he left his home was to accompany his mother when she went to try to convert shinobi. These crusades were always unsuccessful, and usually Hidan and his mother went home with fruit and vegetable pulp, or dirt, or in worst cases, dog feces on them, parting gifts from the ignorant masses who wanted nothing to do with a religion that prohibited all forms of violence, even the slaughtering of animals for food. But Hidan's mother was not deterred. Once a week she went on these missions, visiting a different section of Yugakare until she'd made the rounds, and then she started over again. "One day, they'll see," she told Hidan. "They'll see how happy we are, and then they'll want to know why it is that we are so happy, and then they'll see that violence is never the way."

One day, two shinobi men stopped Hidan and his mother on one of these crusades. "Hey," they said. "Are you the woman who preaches nonviolence?"

"I am," she said.

They fell to their knees before her. "Oh, woman, we are heavily burdened with our sins. Please, teach us your ways."

"You are prepared to renounce your shinobi lifestyle and abstain from all violence against all creatures great and small, and surrender your possessions to embrace a life of poverty?" asked Hidan's mother.

"Oh, yes, yes, yes!" said the first man.

"We have done terrible things, madam, most dreadful things," said the second man. "Please, show us your ways!"

She extended her arms. "Come, then, children of the Universe! Prepare to lose yourselves to find yourselves."

She lead the men back to their house, a little shack at the edge of town. "Hidan," she said, "please prepare a meal for our guests."

Hidan gave a slight bow and disappeared into the kitchen. He began chopping vegetables when he heard his mother scream. Still clutching the knife, Hidan peeked around the corner, and the men were holding down his mother, and one had his pants down, and the other was laughing, but Hidan couldn't see anything funny.

"Go away, little boy," said the laughing man. "This is grown-up stuff."

"Yeah, go away and make dinner," said the second. "We're losing ourselves to find ourselves."

They laughed, and his mother screamed, and Hidan didn't understand what was happening, but he knew it was not funny. He looked at the knife in his hands. No, he thought, all life is precious, even the lives of bad people, for there are no bad people, just lost people, that's what his mother always said, but his mother was screaming and crying, and Hidan had a knife, and maybe all life was precious and there were no bad people just lost people but maybe he didn't have to kill, maybe he could just hurt them, maybe the Universe could forgive that, because it would stop the men from doing what they were doing and his mother was screaming and Hidan had a knife.

Hidan rushed forward. He jumped on the man who was on top of his mother and stabbed the knife into his neck. Blood splattered everywhere, covering Hidan's face, and Hidan felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. The second shinobi had thrown a shuriken. Hidan still had his hand on the knife, and he yanked it out of the first man's neck, and started stabbing the second man relentlessly until Hidan felt two strong arms pick him up. He made a move to stab the arm, but another arm stopped him.

"Woah there, buddy," said the man who had picked him up. "Let's see that knife there, alright?"

"DID YOU COME TO HURT MY MOM TOO?!" Hidan cried.

"Shhh," said a woman, prying the knife out of Hidan's hand. Hidan was sobbing hysterically.

"He's hurt, Hiro," said the woman. "Let me heal him. The woman is dead."

"Dead?" Hidan repeated.

"Shhh," said the woman, taking Hidan and laying him on the floor away from the blood. Her hands glowed, and she held one over his wound and removed the shuriken with the other. Then she pressed both her hands onto his wound. "What's your name, little boy?"

"Hidan," Hidan said through tears. "My mother..."

"Shhhh," said the woman. "How old are you, Hidan? You look about just old enough to be an academy student. Are you in the ninja academy?"

"Ninja are instruments of murder, and murder is a cardinal sin for which the Univese cannot forgive. Oh, oh, did I murder that man? I didn't mean to murder anyone, I'm sorry! I must pray. I must pray with my mother. My mother..."

"Shhhh," the woman cooed. "Everything is going to be alright."

"This one's alive," said the shinobi called Hiro, performing a jutsu that wrapped the second villain in chains.

The villain's face was splattered red with blood, and his eyes were bold. "That kid's crazy," he said. "That kid...he just came out of nowhere...and he just...he just...stabbed and stabbed, he didn't even care...he didn't..."

"Shut up!" barked Hiro. "You have no room to talk, you sicko! Geez, violating a religious woman like that, and then..."

"I didn't stab her! It was him! It was the kid!" the villain exclaimed. "We weren't going to kill her, honest, we just..."

"SHUT UP!" Hiro barked, smacking the man unconscious. "Atsumi, take the boy with you while we get this all cleaned up."

"Yes," said Atsumi. She picked up Hidan and carried him past two unconscious bodies, the shinobi and his mother, both with gaping stab wounds seeped in blood.

* * *

Atsumi was prettier than Hidan's mother was...had been. Hidan felt dirty for thinking it, but it was true. Atsumi had dark skin and long black hair, and big, kind eyes. Hidan's mother had pale skin and dusty blonde hair and small, grey eyes. Atsumi looked to be about the same age as her, though.

Atsumi's home was larger and nicer than the shack Hidan had grown up in with his mother. It wasn't anywhere close to luxurious, but it was nicer. The walls were decorated with katana and pictures of shinobi. Hidan shut his eyes to the sin, but when he did, he saw his own cardinal sin, his mother's gaping stab wounds seeped in blood, and her screams.

"Where is your father?" asked Atsumi.

"Father?" Hidan asked, as if it was an absurd question. "I don't have one."

"Oh," said Atsumi. "I'm sorry."

She set down a plate of large, doughy dumplings, and he took one greedily. They were filled with a delicious, salty substance. "What vegetable is this?" he asked.

"Vegetable? They're pork buns, dear," said Atsumi. He instantly spat them out and started to cry. "Oh, oh no, I'm sorry, you must be a vegetarian. Here, I'll get something else."

"That animal died, and I ate it, ohhhhh!" Hidan wailed. "I'm damned, damned, damned!"

"Here, here, have some almond cookies," said Atsumi. She put her arm around Hidan, but he pushed her away.

"Murderer!" he cried. "Shinobi are instruments of murder, and murder is the one sin that the Universe cannot forgive! You're damned, I'm damned, we're all damned, damned, damned!" He continued to shake and cry, and Atsumi stood at a loss.

Hiro came through the door. He had lighter skin, short dark hair, and a thin beard that lined his jaw. "Poor kid," he said before placing his katana in a holster by the door.

"What's happening to the rogue?" asked Atsumi.

"He's in the dungeon for now, but he'll surely be executed," said Hiro.

"And me too?" asked Hidan. "I'll do it myself if you'd prefer."

"What's that, kid?" asked Hiro.

"I killed my mother," said Hidan. It was the first time he'd acknowledged it. "So I'm a murderer. I should be executed, like the other man."

"Oh, no," said Hiro. "That was an accident. You won't be punished for that."

"But I'm a murderer," said Hidan.

Atsumi sat down beside him. "We saw the whole thing, dear. Your mom got in the way of your swing, when you slashed at the second man. It wasn't your fault. Your eyes were closed the whole time."

"A tragedy," said Hiro. "A terrible accident."

"But that doesn't matter!" Hidan protested. "A murder is a murder, it doesn't matter how it happened!"

"But dear, dear," Atsumi cooed, putting her arms around him. "It does."


	2. Hidan the Healer

Hidan was kept in the Yugakare hospital, in a soft, empty room with bars on the windows. Atsumi attended to him.

"Please eat, Hidan," she said, presenting him a plate of rice and vegetables. "I made this special for you."

"If you won't let me die quickly, then I'll die slowly, by starvation," said Hidan. "I desire to be free from this life and to start anew in another."

"Hidan," said Atsumi, sitting across from him. "You strike me as a very religious person."

"Religion is everything," said Hidan.

"Tell me about your religion," said Atsumi. "You value life, I understand, yes?"

"Life comes from the Universe," Hidan said. "It is a great gift, the greatest gift, and it is not for us mortals to take."

"Your mother taught you that, yes?" asked Atsumi.

"Yes," said Hidan. "My mother taught me everything."

"Then your mother also valued life, too, yes?"

"Above all things," said Hidan. "And I betrayed her. I thought...I thought I could save her. I didn't want to kill anybody. I just wanted to scare the bad men off. But then...I was just so angry, which is another sin, by the way. I just stabbed and stabbed and stabbed...and now I am damned! My mother wanted to stop me, I know, and I betrayed her, and now the Universe has punished me!"

Atsumi put her arms around Hidan. "If your mother values life as you say, then she wouldn't want you to take yours," said Atsumi. "For your mother. Please eat."

Hidan cried. "I don't want to live like this!"

"I don't want you to live like this either," said Atsumi. "You must forgive yourself for what happened, and then you can move on, and teach others about your religion, just like your mother did. You should honor her, Hidan. Taking your life would just be another betrayal."

His head spun. "Why...why are you telling me this?!" Hidan snapped. "Go away, sinner."

"I may be a sinner, but I have grown fond of you, Hidan," said Atsumi. "You're a very smart little boy."

He smiled, but then he scowled and stared at his toes. "Mother says I should be modest in all things."

"That's very good advice. She was a smart woman," said Atsumi.

Without thinking, Hidan put a carrot in his mouth, and when it hit his stomach, he was devouring the rest of the food. Atsumi sat next to him until he'd finished every last drop. He burped. "Thank you, Atsumi."

"Hidan," she said, "how would you like to come back home with me and Hiro?"

He handed her back the plate. "I think...you cook vegetables very good."

"Thank you," she said with a laugh.

* * *

Atsumi and Hiro adopted Hidan, and within a week, Hidan had started to eat small portions of meat.

"You don't have to eat that, son," said Hiro at the dinner table when Hidan had taken a piece of chicken.

"I know, but," said Hidan, "I think that maybe, I want to learn about your religion."

Atsumi smiled at Hiro. The couple had been sweethearts since they were in Academy, and had always dreamed of having a family, but an accident on the battlefield had left Atsumi unable to conceive. Hiro hadn't at first been crazy about the idea of taking in a boy who'd been expressly indoctrinated against shinobi, but he wasn't a monster either, and if they didn't take Hidan in, nobody would. Hidan too had recognized that Atsumi and Hiro were his only hope.

"You were taught that shinobi are...what was it, again?" asked Hiro.

"Instruments of murder," Hidan had Atsumi said together. They laughed.

"You're not wrong, son," said Hiro, "but there is much more to it than that. Shinobi have a rich history going back to the beginning of time."

"The Sage of the Six Paths had a vision, to unite all people of the world through the sharing of chakra," said Atsumi.

"Chakra?" asked Hidan.

"Are you familiar with chakra, son?" asked Hiro.

"Yes," said Hidan. "Chakra is the universal life-force that binds us all. Mother taught me that."

"Sounds like our religions have something in common, then," said Atsumi. "Shinobi are people who harness their chakra to transcend humanity."

"Like how you healed me," said Hidan. "I'd like to learn how to do that."

"I can teach you that," said Atsumi.

"But," said Hiro, "if you want to learn medical ninjutsu, you should also train in other ninja arts as well."

"No," said Hidan firmly. "No killing."

"Medical ninjutsu would be a perfect fit for you," said Atsumi. "Medical nin don't go to the front lines of battle. They stay behind and wait until they're needed."

"But they must be able to defend themselves, because if the medical nin dies, then the rest are doomed," said Hiro.

"Oh, I want to learn! I want to be a medical shinobi. I think...I think my mother would like that. Yes, it would make her proud, to see me take our religion of peace to the people who need it most," said Hidan.

"Well, then," said Atsumi. "Let's start getting you prepared to enroll in Academy next year."

Hidan was beyond prepared for the Academy. He was naturally strong and swift, and had above-average chakra stores, which lead many to speculate that his father had been a shinobi. He rose to the head of class in taijutsu, and his classmates feared to spar with him, but at home, he studied with Atsumi in the subtle art of medical ninjutsu, soon advancing beyond even her skills. He honed a unique ability to rapidly heal himself.

Within only two years, he had graduated as a genin and placed on a team with two older genin who had lost their third member competing in the previous chunin exams. The first member was a girl of about seventeen, Aka Saito, the most promising member of a declining clan in their village. She was skilled in wielding a unique weapon, a poison dart gun made from bamboo found in the forest. She could mix different serums to produce the desired effect in the target. Her hair was fiery red.

The second member was Ryukmaru Kuro, a strange boy who wore his dark brown hair half obscuring his face. He was quiet and regarded as creepy by most of his classmates. He wore a black robe that covered every inch of his body, including his hands and feet.

These three were placed under the tutelage of a shrewd man named Hayato Suzuki. Hayato's face was lined with scars, and he wore an eye-patch. He had a bulky frame, and the only hair he had grew above his lip.

"Welcome, Hidan!" said Hayato-sensei. "Aka, Ryukmaru, meet your new team member."

"Oh my gosh, he's just a baby!" Aka gasped. "How old is he?"

"I'm nine," said Hidan proudly.

"Nine?! Oh, lord, they send a nine-year-old to replace Yado! Of all the nerve!" Aka exclaimed.

"If we'd had him on our team, Yado would probably still be alive," said Ryukmaru. "This is Hidan the Healer."

"Huh?" asked Aka. "The genius medical nin everyone's been talking about? That's him?!" Aka gestured in exasperation.

"The one and the same," said Hayato-sensei. "Welcome, Hidan. Let's see what you've got. Ryukmaru, spar with Hidan."

"Why not me?" demanded Aka. "I'm the oldest!"

"Geez, Aka, you're that keen to beat up a little kid?" teased Ryukmaru.

"I have my reasons for this pairing," said Hayato-sensei. "Ryukmaru?"

"Yes, sensei," said Ryukmaru. He pushed his hair off his face and took a fighting stance. His sleeves fell back off his pale, bony hands, as if he were merely a skeleton. Hidan mimicked his stance.

"Begin!" ordered Hayato-sensei, and the boys fought. Despite his strange choice of wardrobe for a ninja, Ryukmaru was swift, but Hidan had the advantage of being smaller, until Ryukmaru pinned him down on the ground.

Aka laughed. "Great addition to the team, sensei."

Ryukmaru let Hidan go, and they bowed to each other.

"Again," said Hayato-sensei. "And this time...Formation C."

"Formation C? But Hayato-sensei!" Aka gasped.

"Do it, Aka," said Hayato-sensei.

Aka raised her blow gun and placed a yellow dart within. She aimed it at Hidan as he danced with Ryukmaru in the field. Ryukmaru grabbed Hidan's wrists, and Aka blew, lodging the dart in Hidan's ribs. He cried slightly in pain. He told his legs to kick Ryukmaru, but his legs wouldn't move. He was paralyzed.

"Ninja art: Chakra drain jutsu!" Ryukmaru said, and Ryukmaru's eyes and arms began to glow. Hidan's eyes rolled in the back of his head as he felt his body rapidly weakening.

"Okay, Hayato-sensei, I think he gets it. Can I administer the antidote now?" Aka asked nervously.

"Wait," ordered Hayato-sensei.

The chakra glowing on Ryukmaru's arms started to pulse and weaken. Hidan's face returned to normalcy, and slowly, his muscles started to loosen. The dart fell off his body, and he delivered a swift kick at Ryukmaru who fell backwards with a gasp.

"HAHAHA!" Hayato-sensei exclaimed. "Well done, Hidan! So the rumors are true!"

Aka's jaw dropped. "How did he do that? That formation...that jutsu...it's foolproof!"

"For every jutsu, there is a weakness," said Hayato-sensei. "And we've just found yours, Ryukmaru. Hidan the Healer can heal himself. Well, what do you think now, Aka? Is this not a perfect addition to our team?"

Aka bowed. "I'm sorry I doubted you, Hidan. Welcome to Team Hayato."

Ryukmaru stood up and bowed. "Welcome, Hidan. Pleasure to meet you."


	3. The Most Natural Instinct

Team Hayato was the most feared genin squad in Yugakure. It was no surprise, then, when Hayato recommended them for the next chunin exams in the Hidden Leaf. Atsumi and Hiro were ecstatic when they heard the news.

"Oh my gosh, Hidan!" Atsumi squealed, picking him up and showering him with kisses.

"Blech, Mom, put me down," Hidan groaned. "I'm not a little kid anymore."

"No, I suppose you are not," said Atsumi, finding it hard to believe this was the same broken child she had observed on suicide watch in the hospital. "A genin at nine, and now a chunin at ten!"

"Now, Atsumi, don't get ahead of yourself," said Hiro. "He's not a chunin yet, only taking the exams. You know what happened two years ago."

"Yado Hiroyuki," said Atsumi. "Such a nice boy. Yes, but simple injuries like that can't affect our Hidan."

"You are too proud, Atsumi," said Hiro. "Hidan, we must train extra hard, not just on healing, but on offensive techniques as well."

"Ryukmaru invited me over to his clan's grounds to train," said Hidan. "He wants to practice some new jutsu with me."

"You ought to learn some new jutsu too," said Hiro. "We have yet to find your chakra nature. Atsumi, do you have any of that paper?"

"No, but I'm sure Hayato-sensei would have it," said Atsumi. "So, you're going to Ryukmaru's then? You're good friends with this boy?"

Hidan shrugged. "Honestly, none of us really talk much except when we're training with Hayato-sensei. But he's got a really unique jutsu, and I'm good to practice on, because it doesn't affect me at all!" Hidan laughed. "And of course I'm happy to help my teammate."

"How much do you know about Ryukmaru?" Atsumi pressed.

"Atsumi, it's fine," said Hiro. "How much do _you_ know about Ryukmaru, Atsumi?"

"He seems nice," said Hidan, "and he's a good shinobi. Why, Mom? What's wrong?"

"He's just...the Kuros...they're very strange," said Atsumi.

"Last time I checked, being strange is not a crime," said Hiro.

"Yeah, but, there are the rumors...about the animals...and the elderly," Atsumi whispered. "Do you really think a boy like Hidan ought to be...?"

"You can't shelter him, Atsumi. Let him go and see for himself what he thinks of them. And they are rumors, after all," said Hiro. "Yes, Hidan, Ryukmaru is a good rival for you. I'm glad you've been put on a team with him."

After dinner, Hidan went to the Kuros' house. The Kuros lived in a black tower in a secluded part of town, hidden in a bamboo forest. Their door was marked with a white circle containing an upside-down triangle. Ryukmaru wore the same symbol on the back of his robe. Must be the clan's symbol, Hidan thought. He knocked on the door.

The door cracked open, and Ryukmaru peered out. "Oh, hi Hidan," he said. "Mom, Hidan's here. We're going out to train." Ryukmaru downed a glass of red liquid. Some of it trickled down his mouth, making Ryukmaru look like a vampire. "You can come in, Hidan. I need to get my weapon."

"Okay," said Hidan. He stepped inside nervously, wondering what sort of "strangeness" he would see inside, as Atsumi had foreshadowed, but he was disappointed. It was a normal shinobi house. Dinner was on the table, some brown meat and vegetables.

"Did you eat dinner, Hidan?" asked a woman. She was skinny and pale like Ryukmaru, wearing a black dress and a necklace of the Kuro crest.

"I did, thank you, Mrs. Kuro," said Hidan. "I'm still kinda thirsty now."

"Oh, of course," said Mrs. Kuro. "Would you like some tea? Or just plain water?"

"What was that juice Ryukmaru was drinking?" asked Hidan.

"Oh, that, umm, that's for Kuro clan members only," said Mrs. Kuro.

"Oh, okay. I'll take tea then," said Hidan. Was that strange? Nah, he decided, clans had all sorts of traditions. Ryukmaru came downstairs carrying a silver scythe. "Woah!" Hidan gasped. "Now _that's_ a weapon!"

"Ryukmaru, sweetie," said Mrs. Kuro, "are you _sure_ this is okay?"

"Mom, this is Hidan the Healer. He can't be hurt," said Ryukmaru.

"Does he feel pain? Do you feel pain, dear?" asked Mrs. Kuro.

"Yes," said Hidan.

"Ryukmaru, no," said Mrs. Kuro definitively. "Practice something else."

"How can I perfect my jutsu if I can't test it on people?" Ryukmaru asked, annoyed.

"Test it on enemies in battle! Here, you practice with animals," said Mrs. Kuro.

"No!" Hidan shouted. "Not an innocent animal!"

"Relax, we only use the ones that are already lame or sick," said Ryukmaru. "And they suck to practice on! Mom, Hidan's ability is a gift! Hayato-sensei even said so!"

"Hayato-sensei is not of our clan," said Mrs. Kuro. "Hidan is a healthy, innocent child. This is not our way. You can practice your jutsu the usual way."

"Fine," said Ryukmaru. "I guess we should go get Aka, then." He laid the scythe against the wall.

"Wait," said Hidan. "If you don't use me, are you going to use an animal?"

"Yeah," said Ryukmaru. "You heard my mom."

"Then don't," said Hidan. "Mrs. Kuro, it's okay. I'd rather he practiced on me than used an innocent animal. Me, I am not so innocent."

Mrs. Kuro's eyes bulged. "If Ryukmaru makes a mistake..."

"Then I'll die? Then I guess I'll die," said Hidan, "but I don't think that is very likely. Ryukmaru is a very good shinobi."

Ryukmaru smiled. "See, Mom? He gets it! C'mon, buddy."

They went to a clear, grassy area. The Kuros kept chickens and goats in their backyard. It reminded Hidan of his childhood, and he winced. Ryukmaru didn't notice. "Okay," Ryukmaru said, "so you know how in order for me to use the Chakra Drain Jutsu, my target has to be completely immobilized, and then I have to physically touch them for it to work?"

"Yeah," said Hidan.

"It works really well having Aka, because she can paralyze them. But it doesn't work so well one-on-one," said Ryukmaru, "so we Kuros have this." He held up his scythe. "Okay, Hidan, this might be a little scary at first. But I need you to actually let me hit you with this."

"Okay," said Hidan. "Do what you need to do."

"Well, don't make it _that_ easy," said Ryukmaru. "Spar with me, like an enemy would."

Hidan took his kunai and rushed at Ryukmaru. Ryukmaru's scythe grazed and ripped Hidan's pants. "Okay?" Hidan asked. "You got me."

"No," said Ryukmaru. "I need to draw blood."

"Ohhhh, right, okay," said Hidan. He made for Ryukmaru again, thinking how ridiculous it would be for an enemy to actually attempt close combat with that scythe, but Hidan was able to evade Ryukmaru for a short while before he felt the scythe graze his arm.

Hidan landed on the ground and touched his arm to start healing it. Ryukmaru smiled, drew the head of the scythe to his mouth, and licked it. Hidan's stomach gave a lurch.

"For Jashin," said Ryukmaru making a hand sign. A blue circle formed around Hidan, and another around Ryukmaru.

"Ryukmaru...what is this...?"

"Chakra Drain Jutsu," said Ryukmaru.

The chakra Hidan was using to heal his arm stopped flowing. Hidan gasped. He looked at Ryukmaru, and Ryukmaru was a skeleton outlined in black. Hidan's heart pounded in fear. This jutsu was unlike anything he had ever seen. Hiro could wield lightning, and Atsumi could breathe fire. Hayato-sensei could move the earth at will. But this...what was this? Hidan fought back against Ryukmaru, but his teammate was too strong. Hidan's vision got fuzzy, and he fainted.

"RYUKMARU!" his mother shouted.

"Did you see that, Mom? Jashin was with me!" Ryukmaru exclaimed.

"Yes, but...," said Mrs. Kuro.

Hidan opened his eyes. "That was awesome," he gasped. He stood up and brushed himself off. He healed his arm. "Let's do it again, but this time, I'm going to make it way harder for you to hit me."

Mrs. Kuro looked from her son to her son's new friend and smiled. "Try the other jutsu this time, Ryukmaru."

"Life Drain? If Chakra Drain worked that well, I'd kill him!"

"No no no," said Mrs. Kuro. "The Voodoo Jutsu."

"Ohhhh, yeah," said Ryukmaru. "Okay, Hidan. You okay to go again?"

"I think so," said Hidan. "Catch me if you can!" He bounced off into the forest, and his new friend followed. Mrs. Kuro set down a cup of tea and some food pills, happy to see her son was accepted.

* * *

"I _love_ the Kuros!" Hidan exclaimed when he burst through the door. "They're so cool!"

"Well, now, you hear that, Atsumi? Hidan has a friend," said Hiro.

"Ryukmaru has this scythe, and when he licks your blood, he's like...linked to you. And his face gets all dark and scary looking, and he can drain your chakra from far away. And then he has this other jutsu, where if you hurt him, it hurts you instead. So you just can't hurt him. Well, I suppose _I_ could, but I would never do that. I don't like hurting people anyways. And Mrs. Kuro is super nice, and really pretty too. She makes the best food pills."

"Careful, Hidan," Hiro laughed. "You'll make your mom jealous."

"Oh no," said Atsumi. "I'm happy for you, son."

"I guess they _were_ kinda strange," said Hidan, "but it's a good strange. I didn't get to know his dad much. He came home right before I left, and he had an old woman with him. Ryukmaru said his parents were going to help her. I'm not sure how or why, but it's very nice to hear."

A darkness passed over Atsumi's face. "Yes, son. It is very nice to hear."

Hidan spent more and more time with the Kuros. It started with one evening, then two, and by the end of the month, he was spending the night there. And other people were always there too, strange people from all over. They came with Mr. Kuro, but Mr. Kuro always left alone. Hidan never once saw one of these people leave, nor did he ever see them again.

One night Mr. Kuro brought in a teenage girl who looked to be about Aka's age. Mrs. Kuro, Ryukmaru and Hidan were sitting down for dinner. "Tenshi?" Mr. Kuro asked in an urgent tone.

"Sogiya," Mrs. Kuro responded, concerned. The couple took the girl upstairs.

"What was that?" asked Hidan. "Why is that girl here?"

Ryukmaru shrugged. "My parents are going to help her. Or maybe not. She's young. It depends."

"What does she need help with?" Hidan pressed. "Seems like your parents help a lot of people."

"Sick people. Injured people," Ryukmaru answered. He took a sip of the red liquid. "It depends."

"So they are medical ninja?" asked Hidan.

"Not exactly," said Ryukmaru. "They specialize in helping people who feel like they don't want to live anymore."

"Oh," said Hidan. "I see. My mom kinda does that too."

"Well, nobody does it like us," said Ryukmaru, "but I'm really not supposed to discuss it with outsiders."

"Oh," said Hidan, confused. He took a bite of beef and broccoli. "You know, there was a time when I thought I didn't want to live anymore. Then my mom helped me. Well, my second mom."

"Oh, what happened to your first mom? If you don't mind me asking," said Ryukmaru.

"Something really bad happened to my birth mom," said Hidan. "Two rogue shinobi came and hurt her. I killed one of them, and then Hiro and Atsumi found me."

"No shit?" Ryukmaru said, interested. "How old were you?"

"Eight," said Hidan.

"Damn," said Ryukmaru. "I can't believe that. And you killed a guy at eight?"

"I didn't plan on it," said Hidan. "I just remember being really angry, and I had been chopping vegetables, so I just kinda...it was like something took over me. I started stabbing, and I just couldn't stop, and I hit my mom. That's how she died. I killed her." Ryukmaru's jaw was hanging open, and his one visible eye was bulged out. "Oh no," said Hidan. "You're afraid of me now. You don't want to be my friend anymore."

"What? No!" Ryukmaru exclaimed. "I'm just surprised. You're so against killing."

"Oh, I am," said Hidan. "But like I said. Once I started, I just couldn't stop. I'm not proud of it at all. But my dad says that was my shinobi instinct coming out, to save my mother. But I screwed up."

"Shit, that's rough," said Ryukmaru. "But everyone has that instinct. It's the most natural instinct there is."

"You think?" asked Hidan.

"I know," said Ryukmaru cryptically.

"Well, I'm not proud of it, in any case," said Hidan. "That's why I became a medical ninja. So I could help people, and make my birth mother proud."

"Man, that's quite a story. I had no idea. I can't imagine going through that," said Ryukmaru.

"You're the first person I've ever told. I actually feel kinda better," said Hidan. "But it always bothers me, what I did."

Ryukmaru moved his chair over and put his arm around Hidan, and Hidan wrapped his arms around Ryukmaru's neck. The boys sat like that for some time before deciding to skip training to play Shogi.

* * *

In the middle of the night, Hidan got up to use the bathroom. He started up the winding staircase to the next landing where the bathroom was, and he bumped into Mr. Kuro.

"Oh! Hello, Hidan," said Mr. Kuro.

"Sorry," said Hidan. Mr. Kuro had a bundle of blankets slung over his shoulder. Hidan pressed himself against the wall so Mr. Kuro could pass. The blankets were bound tight and had the Kuro family crest on them. Hidan observed them curiously. Mr. Kuro whistled as he made his way downstairs. Hidan's eyes were fixed upon the bundle.

Sticking out of the end of the blankets was a slender white foot.


	4. The Way of Jashin

Hidan didn't tell anyone what he saw that night. He had half convinced himself it had all been a dream. In any case, he understood that sometimes you just couldn't save people. Atsumi often came home from the hospital crying because a patient had died. Maybe it was the fact that the girl had been so young that bothered Hidan. And the fact that he never saw any of the strangers who went up the tower come down again.

But Ryukmaru was a true friend, and the boys continued to practice their jutsu together. Hidan still liked to go to the Kuros' place, but he didn't spend the night often anymore for fear of seeing the same thing.

"Hey, Ryukmaru," he said one day. "You know those people your parents help?" Ryukmaru nodded slowly. "What if I helped too?"

Ryukmaru coughed on his pork bun. "No, you can't do that."

"Why not?" Hidan pressed. "I help my mom in the hospital all the time. I'm the best medical nin in the village. Why shouldn't I help?"

"Because you can't," said Ryukmaru. "It's not the kind of thing we do, alright?"

"What is it?" Hidan pressed. "Why can't you tell me? I told you everything about me. Why don't I get to know about you?"

"Because, it's not me. It's complicated," said Ryukmaru. "It's a clan secret. I can't tell you clan secrets."

Aka and Hayato-sensei had arrived to take them to the Hidden Leaf for the chunin exams, so Hidan dropped it, but his blood was boiling because he was pretty sure that something you couldn't tell your friend was something that wasn't good.

* * *

"HIRO!" Atsumi cried. "Hiro, come quick, oh god."

Hiro followed Atsumi's crying to Hidan's room. She was sitting on the ground among a pile of bloody sheets. "Good god!" Hiro exclaimed. "Atsumi, what happened?"

"I don't know!" she sobbed. "I was just changing Hidan's bedding, and I couldn't find any replacement sheets. They've just been disappearing, and then I saw a red cloth sticking out from under the bed, and I found all of this!"

"What...what are you saying?" Hiro asked. "Is that blood?"

"All of his sheets are bloody!" Atsumi exclaimed. "Hiro, do you know anything about this? Is this all his? Is he hurt?"

"Why, we just went to the hot springs yesterday. Boy looked perfectly healthy, not so much as a paper cut on him," said Hiro.

"Then whose blood is this?" asked Atsumi. "What is he hiding?"

* * *

"We've seen that rock before," said Hidan.

"Oh, shut up," said Aka. "Every damn rock looks the same."

"Not that one. It's half grey, half white. We've gone in a circle," said Hidan.

"Ryukmaru!" Aka exclaimed. "You're taking us in circles!"

Ryukmaru stopped and looked at the rock, then looked around at the trees and vines around them. "Fuck," he said.

"Damn!" Aka said. "I should be team leader! My clan knows how to navigate forests! All your clan knows is how to be weird as fuck! That's it, I'm taking over!" She stormed out ahead of Ryukmaru, but he held out his scythe to block her.

"Hold, Aka," said Ryukmaru. "We're in a genjutsu."

"A genjutsu? Well, that's just fantastic. Leave it to you to lead us into a fucking genjutsu!" Aka shrieked.

"Release," said Hidan. The scenery warped, though they were still in a forest. Shuriken rained down on them, and they scattered into the trees.

The team was from the Hidden Leaf, two boys and a girl. "Good job, Kurenai," said the lead boy.

Aka readied her dart gun. "I can knock them all out," she said.

A shuriken flew toward her, and Ryukmaru blocked it with his scythe. "We need to distract that one with the scar," said Ryukmaru. "He's trouble. Hidan, let's go."

They took off towards the boy who was flinging shuriken. Aka successfully paralyzed Kurenai, who fell out of the branch to the ground, but Aka missed the lead boy, who attacked her with chakra blades. Aka was not as skilled in close combat, but she drew her katana and brought the battle to the forest floor.

Ryukmaru was slashing at the shuriken boy, who kept retreating. The boy shouted, "Asuma! Protect Kurenai! Oh, shit!" Ryukmaru slashed his arm, and Hidan kicked him out of the tree.

"Raido!" Asuma cried, and when he turned around, Aka had taken to the trees.

"Damn it, Asuma, keep on that girl!" shouted Raido.

Ryukmaru and Hidan landed, and Ryukmaru made his hand sign. "For Jashin!" he declared, and Raido was trapped.

"Shiiiit," said Asuma. "What the hell kind of jutsu is this?"

"Don't surrender!" Raido declared. "Look for the girl!"

"Chakra Drain Jutsu!" Ryukmaru said.

Asuma looked at Raido, and Kurenai, and then at the trees. Hidan had his katana drawn.

"Asuma, the one with the cloak has the scroll!" Kurenai said hoarsely.

Asuma nodded. He sent chakra to his blades, and he rushed towards Ryukmaru.

"I've got him!" Aka shouted from the trees.

But Hidan didn't think twice. He ran between Asuma and Ryukmaru. The blade sliced him across his face and down through his chest.

"HIDAN!" Aka yelled, jumping out of her hiding. "I had him, fuck, what the hell!"

Blood splattered across Asuma's face. "DAMN!" Asuma cursed.

"Asuma!" Kurenai cried. "What did you do?!"

"I didn't mean to...shit...the kid just jumped in front of me," Asuma said trembling. Hidan had collapsed, blood still pouring out his body like a fountain.

Ryukmaru released his jutsu. "Oh, Jashin! Hidan, you fool!"

"I can do medical ninjutsu!" Kurenai hollered.

"Right," said Aka, finding the antidote to the paralysis serum.

"Oh god oh god oh god," said Asuma, turning green and vomiting. "I didn't mean to, I swear!"

"It's okay," said Ryukmaru, kneeling beside his friend. "Hidan, my friend. It's going to be okay."

"Damn," said Raido. "We're so sorry, guys."

Kurenai came out of her paralysis, but she hesitated when she saw all the blood. "I don't think...," she started.

"It's okay," said Ryukmaru. "If we can't save him...Hidan? Can you hear me?" Hidan started to laugh. The genin looked at each other in shock. "Hidan?" Ryukmaru repeated.

Hidan started to push himself off the ground. They turned their heads away, not having the stomach to see his mangled face and torso. Hidan tore off his ripped shirt and raised his katana to Asuma's throat.

"You'll have to do much more than that to hurt me," Hidan muttered. His face was covered in blood, but it didn't have a scratch on it. "So, are we going to do this all night, or are you going to surrender your scroll now?"

* * *

"That was too easy," said Aka.

"We still gotta keep our guard up," said Ryukmaru. "With both scrolls, we're a target for everyone now."

"Well, no more of those Hidden Leaf shits are gonna mess with us, I can tell you," said Aka. "We scared the piss out of them!"

"Hidan scared the piss out of _me_ ," said Ryukmaru. "I had no idea you could heal yourself that deep."

Hidan popped a food pill in his mouth. "I practice every night."

"So you slice yourself up every night? That's morbid," said Aka.

"It's kinda fun, though," said Hidan, "to cheat death."

"You can't cheat death," said Ryukmaru. "Death is the great equalizer. It'll come to everyone, even you, Hidan."

Hidan just shrugged.

"Ugh," said Aka. "Let's change the subject. How'd I get stuck on a team with you two? Hey, I hear a river. I could use a dip."

"Aka, this isn't a resort vacation, it's the fucking chunin exams," said Ryukmaru.

"I just want to put my feet in! You guys are such buzzkills!" Aka whined. "I'm going to the river. Follow me or don't." She rushed ahead.

"Damn it, woman," Ryukmaru cursed. "Come on, Hidan."

They followed Aka. When they came to the river, Aka was standing still and pale. On the short was a bloody corpse of a doe, and next to it, a bleating baby deer.

"Poor baby," Aka whispered.

"Looks like there was a battle here. That doe was collateral damage," said Ryukmaru. "And there are bound to be more battles along this river, since it's out in the open. We've gotta get out of here."

Hidan picked up a leafy stick and held it out to the baby. "Come on," he said. "Come on and eat."

"He's too young. He wants milk," said Ryukmaru. Ryukmaru raised his scythe and slashed the baby across the throat. With a soft cry, the baby fell. Aka shrieked.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!" Hidan shouted. "It was just a baby!"

"It was gonna starve, or get eaten by something else," said Ryukmaru. "Both bad ways to go. I did it a favor."

"HOW IS KILLING IT DOING IT A FAVOR?!"

"Damn it, Ryukmaru," Aka said. "Can you...for just once...can you not?"

Ryukmaru ignored Aka and said, "It was suffering. Your way would just prolong the inevitable and prolong its suffering. I ended its suffering. That's my way, the way of Jashin."

"The fuck does that mean?!" Hidan exclaimed.

"Don't get him started," said Aka. "I'm so over this already! Let's go to the tower." She left, and Ryukmaru followed.

"WAIT!" Hidan cried, chasing Ryukmaru. "What is that? What gives you the right to decide when to end a life? Only the Universe can decide that."

"The Universe is...," Ryukmaru started. "Look, Hidan, we can talk about this later, alright? We've gotta focus on this exam."

"Wait," said Hidan. "If I didn't heal myself back there, were you going to...?"

"Yes," said Ryukmaru, without skipping a beat.

"And that girl?"

"Huh? No, the girl was just paralyzed."

"No," said Hidan, "not the one from the Leaf. The one at your house that night. The one your dad brought home. She wasn't that much older than us. Did your dad...?"

"My Mom and Dad both," said Ryukmaru. "Any more questions?"

"No," said Hidan bitterly. "I understand very well now. Thank you."


	5. Heathen

The trio from Yugakure all became chunin and distinguished themselves as one of the most feared teams outside of the great villages. Soon, they were up for promotion to jonin.

"Well, Hidan, I suppose once you become a jonin you'll be wanting your own place," said Hiro.

"Nonsense," said Atsumi. "He's still only sixteen."

"He's gonna be a man sooner than you think, Atsumi," said Hiro. "Hell, that Ryukmaru is engaged now, isn't he?"

"Oh, he is! Oh, Hidan, you must be excited for the wedding!" said Atsumi. Hidan hmphed. "Oh, come now," said Atsumi. "You two used to be inseparable. I know you stopped staying over once he started dating that girl, but..."

Hiro chuckled. "If I were a Kuro, I'd latch onto the first girl who showed the slightest interest in me too. Skinny grim reaper boy isn't exactly every girl's dream, is it, Atsumi?"

"Hiro, don't be crude," said Atsumi. "I think it's sweet. Every pot has a lid, they say. You will go to the wedding, won't you, Hidan?"

Hidan grunted again. "It's not about the girl. Ryukmaru and I have irreconcilable religious differences. He can rot in hell for all I care."

"Hidan!" Atsumi scolded.

"I'm going to go practice," said Hidan, leaving the dinner table.

"Don't hurt yourself!" Atsumi exclaimed, but Hidan had already shut the door behind him.

Hidan had taken to using the Saitos' bamboo forest training. He took his new spear from its holster and practiced throwing it at the dummies that were hidden throughout the grove. Then, one of them caught it. Hidan drew his katana, and he found himself face-to-face with Ryukmaru.

"Hey," said Ryukmaru.

"Ryukmaru," said Hidan coldly. "Congratulations on your engagement."

"Thanks," said Ryukmaru. "Listen, Hidan, I know we haven't been as close as we once were, but I still wanted to ask you something. Aka told me you'd be here, so." He handed the spear back to Hidan.

Hidan accepted it. "Okay," he said.

"You're the best teammate I ever had, and the best friend I ever had, even if you don't feel the same. So I want to know if you'll be my best man."

"Your best man?" asked Hidan incredulously.

"Don't answer yet," said Ryukmaru. "Just think about it, please? Sapira wants a 'real wedding,' and I really don't have anyone else to ask. There's no one I'd rather fight beside, so I figured, there's no one I'd rather get married beside either."

"You want me at your heathen wedding?" Hidan asked.

"I figured you'd say that," said Ryukmaru. "Look, you never gave me a chance to really...explain myself, after the chunin exams. I know you're really into your whole pacifist thing, but, I was pretty disappointed that you didn't even want to know where I'm coming from. So, I want to give you this." He handed Hidan a scroll. "It's the first book of my clan's religious text. Just look at it, please? I'm not the monster you think I am. At least, I don't mean to be. And I know we're probably not going to see eye-to-eye on this, but if we could at least understand each other, maybe we could be friends again."

Hidan stared down at the scroll. "Fine," he said, taking it. "But I'm still not going to your heathen wedding. Sorry."

"That's fine," said Ryukmaru. "I miss training with you, Hidan. My family misses you. Anyways, see you around." He left.

* * *

Hidan set the scroll down on his nightstand and did his nightly meditation. "May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all," he said. Then he prayed to be relieved of their carnal desires, to achieve enlightenment, and to be one with all of nature and all beings.

He got into bed and reached for his kunai, which he usually used to test the limits of his self-healing, but his fingers touched the scroll. "Hmph," he said, rolling over. He closed his eyes, but his thoughts kept wandering back to Ryukmaru. The truth was, he'd been terribly lonely since he stopped going to the Kuros'. But no, he told himself, he couldn't associate with people who thought it was okay to murder.

And yet, were his own parents any different? The lovely Atsumi, who could breathe fire, and Hiro, whose katana made lightning, were they so innocent? Was Hidan himself not aiding these very people when he traveled alongside shinobi as a medical nin?

I must pray more, he thought. I must meditate more. Oh, how far he had strayed from his roots! He reached from his kunai, but his fingers brushed the scroll.

He sat up in bed. He turned his lamp back on. He unraveled the scroll. It said:

 _THE WAY OF JASHIN_

 _BOOK I_

 _ORIGINS AND BELIEFS_

 _In the beginning, there was suffering._

 _The world created, and its creatures reproduced, and the universe was overfull. The trees and the animals were cramped on the land, and the fish of the sea were jumping out of the water, and they did flop about the land, through the thickets of tangled vines and weeds, and they gasped for breath they could not find. The air was full of birds and bugs, and people were blighted with sickness upon sickness. There was no night or day, for all the stars burned so brightly that it burned all who got a glimpse of the sky. It was eternally daylight, and eternally hot, and all creatures were suffering greatly, and they all cried out for a nameless relief._

 _"If only," they said, "the world would cease its creation, and the creatures would stop reproducing. If only we could curtail the thickets and brush and vines and weeds, and the fish would have enough room in the water, and there were fewer bugs and birds in the air and stars in the sky."_

 _The man Jashin said, "Why don't we curtail the thickets and brush and vines and weeds? Why don't we get rid of some of the fish, and the bugs, and the birds, and the stars?"_

 _"Oh, yes," they said, "but we do not know how."_

 _Then Jashin did break a stick from the tree and stone from the ground and fashioned it into a scythe, and he traveled across the land, trimming back all of the vegetation. The people looked upon this and saw that this was good._

 _Then Jashin took his scythe and brought it down upon the fish. And he said, "Behold, I have done a new thing. The fish has ceased to flop and gasp. Let us use this fish to fuel ourselves." And they ate the fish, and it was good._

 _Then Jashin smote the bugs, and the birds, and the people ate of them too. People ate of the vegetation when it grew too high, and soon their many illnesses were cured, but not all of the sicknesses. There were some sicknesses that could not be cured. These people, Jashin smote, and there was most rejoicing, for the suffering of their kinsmen had been relieved._

 _And then the people said, "What do we do about the sky, that burns so brightly? And what do we do when all we healthy people become too many?"_

 _And Jashin said, "There ought to be some way to prevent this, for this world has only beginnings, but no endings. There ought to also be endings."_

* * *

"Hidan?" Atsumi said, nudging her adopted son as he lay in bed.

"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds," Hidan muttered.

Atsumi smacked him lightly on the face. "Hidan!"

His body gave a lurch as he awoke suddenly, and his head ached from being brought out of his dream. "Uhhh," he said groggily. "What is it?"

"Hidan, it's noon. You've slept in half the day, and Lord Jiro has sent for you," said Atsumi.

"Oh, damn," said Hidan, looking out the window. "I guess I fell asleep reading."

"What is this?" Atsumi asked, picking up the open scroll on the bed.

"A religious text. Ryukmaru lent it to me," said Hidan. Atsumi cocked her head with interest. "He asked me to be his best man," Hidan said.

"That's quite an honor," said Atsumi. "What did you say?"

"I said no," said Hidan sadly. "But that was only yesterday. Do you think he's asked someone else already?"

"I couldn't say," said Atsumi, brightening. "Our village's leader has sent for you, Hidan. You'll have to go talk to Ryukmaru after you see what Lord Jiro wants."

"Of course," said Hidan, rolling up the scroll. "Mom? Do you know anything about the Kuros' religion?"

"They are very secretive about that," said Atsumi. "Is that what you were reading?"

"Mmmm-hmmm," said Hidan. "It's very...bizarre. Basically, they say that this guy, Jashin, became Death, and brought balance and order to the world through destruction. Seems backwards, doesn't it?"

"Oh, well, I've never been much for religions," Atsumi confessed. "Hiro and I follow Ninshu, which isn't so much a religion as a philosophy. I'm not sure what I think about things like death. I've always supposed that when you die, you die, or maybe reincarnated. I guess I don't worry about it much."

"My mother never talked to me about death, except that I should never ever kill anything or anyone, ever," said Hidan. "Yet we kill plants and trees all the time, and Mother was okay with that, but, this scroll says that's the same thing."

"Hidan," said Atsumi, picking up the scroll, "this is all very fascinating, but Lord Jiro is waiting for you."

"Right, sorry," said Hidan. "It's just got me thinking, is all."

Atsumi kissed him on the cheek and sent him off.

* * *

Ryukmaru and Aka were at Lord Jiro's office too. "Damn, Hidan, late much?" Aka taunted.

"Sorry," said Hidan, bowing to Lord Jiro. "I was up late, and then I overslept."

"Mmm-hmmm," said Lord Jiro. "Aka, Ryukmaru, Hidan. The day I created this team, your sensei sought me out immediately afterwards to inform me that this was the greatest team he's ever had the pleasure of working with. I was skeptical, of course, because you were mere genin. But you haven't once disappointed. Your names are feared in the surrounding nations. You bring great honor to the Hot Water Village."

They bowed. "Thank you, Lord Jiro."

"In light of this, it is my honor today to promote you all to jonin," said Lord Jiro. "As you know, we have very few jonin in our village. There will be much expected of you from now on. I expect you all to progress further in your jutsu."

"Yes, Lord Jiro," they said, bowing again.

* * *

"Progress further in your jutsu," said Ryukmaru outside the capitol. "Damn, I've already mastered the techniques in our Jutsu Book!"

"Oh, Ryukmaru," said Sapira, his fiance. She was pale of skin and had curly blonde hair in an unmanaged mop on her head. "I'm sure you can still get stronger."

"I progressed so quickly because I had Hidan," said Ryukmaru. "Jashinist jutsu is so hard to practice without a victim. Ugh. Maybe I'll just have to learn some jutsu outside the Jashinist tradition. I've never tested my chakra nature before. Yeah, I'll have to do that."

Sapira, who wasn't a shinobi, wasn't really sure what to say, so she smiled and nodded.

Hidan came up behind them. "I might know a willing victim," he said softly.

Ryukmaru turned around. "Hidan? How long have you been eavesdropping on us, you weirdo?"

Hidan smiled. "A ninja never tells. Ryukmaru, Sapira, I wanted to congratulate you again on your engagement. And your promotion, Ryukmaru."

"Right back at you," said Ryukmaru.

"Umm," Hidan stammered, "so, I read the thing you gave me."

"Oh," said Ryukmaru. "Ummm, cool."

"I want to read the next book, if that's okay," said Hidan.

"Oh," said Ryukmaru, smiling. "Yeah, sure! So, you liked it?"

"I found it very interesting," said Hidan. "And I've been thinking about it a lot. The story is ridiculous, of course, but, something in there makes a lot of sense."

"Oh wow," said Ryukmaru. "Okay, I wasn't expecting that."

"Awww, Ryukmaru, is Hidan going to join me at the ceremony today?" asked Sapira.

"Oh, goodness, no," said Ryukmaru. "That's only for people who are very serious about the Way. But he's welcome to watch."

"What's this now?" asked Hidan.

"Sapira hasn't officially joined the Jashinists yet," said Ryukmaru. "We're having her first communion today. You can watch, if you want."

"Oh," said Hidan. "A ceremony? Sure, that sounds very interesting."

"But you have to promise not to freak out," said Ryukmaru.

"Why would I freak out?" said Hidan.

"People freak out," said Ryukmaru cryptically. "I've seen people who thought they wanted to join chicken out because of it."

"Oh," said Hidan, "well, now I really have to see it!"

Ryukmaru looked from Hidan and Sapira. "Okay!" he exclaimed. He ran towards the house. "Mom! Dad! Hidan doesn't think I'm a heathen anymore!"

"You've made Ryukmaru very happy, Hidan," said Sapira. "Come on!" She linked her arm through his and dragged him along toward the Kuros' tower.


	6. Fate

While Sapira was getting prepared for the ceremony, Ryukmaru gave Hidan the second scroll of _The Way of Jashin_ to peruse.

 _THE WAY OF JASHIN_

 _BOOK II_

 _RITES AND RITUALS_

 _Jashin did say unto Ryuk, who was trained in the way of shinobi, "Ryuk, your clan is great and powerful. You protect your people, and you fight without fear of death. Those who are not warriors are exceptionally skilled stewards of the natural world. They sow and they reap from the land, and they waste not._ _It is you and your people whom I choose to keep my Way. I entrust to you and your people, the Kuro clan, my powers, and the right to administer death in my name."_

 _Ryuk was humbled, and he knelt before Jashin and said, "Oh, great one, how shall I bear this burden when you are gone?"_

 _And Jashin laughed a mighty laugh. "Mortal, do not let my physical form fool you, for am I not Death? And can Death ever be banished from this world?"_

 _"Surely not, my Lord," said Ryuk, "for if ever Death were to abandon us, then the world would return to eternal suffering."_

 _Jashin was pleased. He handed his scythe to Ryuk. "Go, then, and end suffering the whole world over."_

* * *

Sapira descended the stairs of the tower, wearing a black robe like Ryukmaru always did. Her skin was painted in the skeletal pattern. Ryukmaru held her hand, and his mother Tenshi and father Sogiya followed, also wearing black robes.

Hidan sat at the dinner table, reading the scroll of the second book of _The Way of Jashin._ Sapira smiled nervously at him. The family gathered around the table. Earlier, they had brought a lame turkey inside. The poor creature clucked and scratched about the kitchen, holding up his crooked leg and lamenting that there was nothing to eat inside.

Sogiya spread his arms and turned his palms upwards. "Jashin, look favorably upon this dinner and those assembled. Today, we welcome another steward into your fold. I, the head of the Kuro clan, charged with the keeping of your Way, do sanction this initiation. Jashin, I present your servant Sapira Notihi. Sapira, do you fear death?"

"I do not. Rather, I fear the horrors of the world unbalanced and the darkness of the human heart," said Sapira. It was a line right out of _The Way_.

"Sapira," said Sogiya, "do you fear to kill?"

"I do not. Rather, I fear the suffering of the world's people, and a return to the chaos of old."

"Sapira," said Sogiya, "do you pledge your life to the ending of suffering wherever you may find it? Will you use any means necessary to relieve the pain of nature, the pain of animals, and the pain of humanity?"

"I do pledge," said Sapira.

"And will you be a good steward of the natural world, and reap all you sow, and waste not a drop of life that is given for you?"

"I will," said Sapira, "in Jashin's holy name."

"In Jashin's holy name," repeated the Kuros.

Sogiya nodded, and he took a scythe off the wall and handed it to Sapira. "Sapira Notihi, you will now prove your resolve before this clan and before Jashin. You have chosen for your sacrificial meal a turkey. Before we proceed, let us remember the commandments of our Lord Jashin regarding sacrifice."

Hidan turned to the place where the commandments were listed in _The Way_ , and he read along as Sogiya spoke:

 _1\. All life is a precious gift. Therefore, not a drop shall be wasted. When you kill, you must kill with intent to use all of the corpse for the greater good._

 _2\. All people may eat of the flesh of animal and plant, but the blood may only pass the lips of my chosen and those whom my chosen deem worthy._

 _3\. The healthy of mind and body shall not be killed except by a Warrior in times of battle._

 _4\. Thou shalt not live to kill, but only kill to live._

 _5\. A mercy kill may be granted by one of my chosen. All others have no right to take life._

 _6\. Only in the most dire of circumstances shall the young be killed, and only by a member of the Kuro clan._

 _7\. If there is no suffering, then thou shalt not kill._

 _8\. When death occurs, thou shalt not despair, but count yourselves lucky that one must not toil in life for eternity._

 _9\. Thou shalt not fear death, but thou shalt not kill thyself._

 _10\. When thou killst, thou shalt not cause more suffering in the process._

"Wow," Hidan whispered. Ryukmaru smiled at him.

"Sapira, can you keep these commandments in your heart and in your conscience?" asked Sogiya.

"I can," said Sapira, "with the help of Jashin."

"With the help of Jashin," repeated the family.

"Then by the power vested in me by decree of Jashin, you may make your first kill," said Sogiya.

Tenshi had picked up the turkey and placed it on the table. Hidan watched, wide-eyed. He knew exactly where this was going, and his mind screamed that this was not okay, but he had promised Ryukmaru he wouldn't freak out. He very much liked the commandments of Jashinism, and he thought they would be good guidelines for shinobi in general. At the very least, he felt he understood Ryukmaru now. The squabble they'd had over the life of a pathetic deer seemed very silly now in retrospect. Religion was everything, after all, and Ryukmaru was merely carrying out the duties he'd been charged with.

Sapira steadied the turkey, with Ryukmaru's help, and she chopped off its head. There was a little splatter of blood, and the body jumped, which caused Sapira to squeal a little.

"It's alright. You did good," said Ryukmaru.

"Is that all?" asked Hidan. "Is she a Jashinist now?"

"Next we must prepare the turkey for dinner," said Tenshi. "Come on, dear."

Sapira picked up the turkey and followed Tenshi into the kitchen. Sogiya and Ryukmaru wiped off the table. "You alright there, Hidan? You look a little pale," Sogiya teased.

"I'm fine," said Hidan. "Thanks for letting me stay. Ryukmaru?"

"Yeah?" asked Ryukmaru, sitting down next to his estranged friend.

"Did you ask someone else to be your best man yet?" Hidan asked.

"No," said Ryukmaru. "Honestly, I don't know who I would ask."

"Don't," said Hidan. "I'll do it."

"You sure?" asked Ryukmaru. "It's not going to offend your sense of righteousness?"

"I've decided that you are very righteous, Ryukmaru," said Hidan.

Ryukmaru laughed. "Well, that's a relief. And for what it's worth, there's nothing unusual about a Jashinist wedding. No scythes."

"Well, what's the fun in that?" Hidan asked with a sly smile. "Ryukmaru, is there more of this?" Hidan held up the scroll of the second book of _The Way of Jashin._

"Oh, yes," said Ryukmaru. "There is one more book, and it is my favorite."

"Yeah?" asked Hidan, sitting upright in his chair in excitement.

"Yeah, c'mon," said Ryukmaru. "Sapira has to butcher the turkey, then cook it, so this could take all night." He got out of his chair and headed toward the staircase.

Hidan followed. "Did you also kill a turkey when you had your ceremony?"

"Well," said Ryukmaru, "I'm the son of the head of the Kuro clan, so things are different for me. I didn't have an initiation ceremony like this. I shadowed my dad until I was proficient in the jutsu and such, which is about when I became a genin."

"I see," said Hidan.

They went all the way to the top of the tower. The room was painted with scenes from _The Way_ , and a big Kuro clan symbol was painted on the floor. Ryukmaru walked to a large urn on the floor, opened it, and replaced the Book II scroll with another. Hidan had to laugh slightly at their method for storing scrolls.

"Here it is. Book III: Prophecy," said Ryukmaru. He handed Hidan the scroll. "Take a look."

Hidan opened it.

 _The Way of Jashin_

 _Book III_

 _Prophecy_

 _And Ryuk, now 200 years old, lay on his deathbed. There, Jashin appeared to him one last time._

 _"My Lord, you have come," said Ryuk. "Have I pleased you, my Lord? Have I kept your commandments well? Have I been worthy of your name?"_

 _"Yes, Ryuk," said Jashin, "and it is because of this that I must ask you to do one more thing, before I take you."_

 _"My Lord, I am sick and feeble," said Ryuk._

 _"Yet there is no one else to whom I would entrust this message to, for it is the most important yet. Listen carefully, and record well what I say. I shall not appear on this earth to mortal man again."_

 _"Yes, my Lord," said Ryuk. Ryuk took up his ink and quill for one last time, and the Lord Jashin did speak unto him these words:_

 _"For every beginning there is an ending. Not one among us can cheat Death. It is the great equalizer, for all things great and small will succumb to its power._ _Yet my name will live forever, but my Way, and this clan, shall die, just as everything else. Ye shall try to fight it, but ye shall not succeed, for the power that comes for you is greater than either of us. When the name of Jashin is feared most among all the nations, then the Way will die by the One who speaketh it the most._

Ryukmaru read the last line aloud with Hidan. "It gives me goosebumps," said Ryukmaru.

"I don't understand," said Hidan. "Why do you like this? This is terrible news. It's saying your whole clan is going to die!"

"I don't fear death," said Ryukmaru. "Besides, it says right there we can't succeed against Him. I guess it's humbling. Like throughout the whole story, the Kuros are exalted to be miniature gods on earth, and then the Anti-Jashin is just going to plow through all of us."

Hidan's face purported in shock. "The _Anti-Jashin_?!"

"Or the Black Messiah," said Ryukmaru, as we sometimes call him. "I often dream that I'm going to be the last Kuro, facing off against him."

"That's terrifying," said Hidan.

"It's exciting," said Ryukmaru. "Of course, these scriptures have been interpreted many different ways. Some say it's all just allegory. If the Anti-Jashin ever appears, it'll probably be hundreds of years in the future."

"I should hope so," laughed Hidan, looking back down at the scroll.

 _"An outsider taken within, your clan shall nurture and raise Him up. He shall rise to power and surpass even the son of your sons, and He will carry my word throughout the land. Yet He is stained with the blood of His father and of His mother, and all my commandments He shall break in my name. When this man, the Anti-Jashin, doth eclipse the accomplishments of the son of your sons, then my Way will disappear, and He will be as a god on earth for all time._

 _"In a foreign land He shall lie, in shadow and flame, and there the Way of Jashin doth die."_

Hidan flipped the scroll over, but it was blank. "That's it?!" he exclaimed. "That's all it says about the person who is going to destroy everything you hold dear?"

"Some say Ryuk died before he could write more," said Ryukmaru, "but I think that's all Jashin wanted us to know. After all, we can't stop it."

" _In a foreign land He shall lie, in shadow and flame_ ," Hidan repeated. "What do you think that means? Does he die?"

"Honestly, I don't think so," said Ryukmaru. "He's pure evil. And evil doesn't die. In lurks in the shadows and the smoke...MUHAHAHA!" Ryukmaru wiggled his fingers at Hidan like a person telling a scary story to a child. "But that's just my interpretation. Some of the more literalists, like my grandma Ryukiko, she insisted that 'the flame' meant the 'foreign land' was going to be the Land of Fire."

"And the shadow?" asked Hidan.

Ryukmaru shrugged. "I don't make much of it. I just think it sounds badass."

Hidan threw his head back and laughed. "You think that Death itself visited Ryuk on his deathbed just to record something 'badass'?"

"Why not? Hell, I'd do it," said Ryukmaru.

"Like Jashin is just chilling in the afterlife, and he thinks of a cute little rhyme, and says 'man, I gotta tell Ryuk this!'"

"And he's probably laughing his ass off right now listening to this conversation!"

"What a dick," said Hidan, then he covered his mouth. "Sorry, I didn't mean to insult your god."

"Eh," said Ryukmaru. "Blaspheme all you want. I don't put much stock in this scriptures. The commandments I keep, but otherwise, it's all just stories."

"Yet the stories still tell us something," said Hidan.

"True," said Ryukmaru, rolling up the scroll and replacing it in the urn.

"But you think Jashin is real, though, right?" asked Hidan.

Ryukmaru hesitated. "Death is real," said Ryukmaru. "That's good enough for me."


	7. Shinigami

A year passed since Ryukmaru and Sapira were married and moved into their own home near Kuro tower. Hidan still lived with Hiro and Atsumi, but he spent so much time out on missions or at the hospital that he was barely home. He had also started teaching medical ninjutsu classes at the academy. But today, he was having a cup of tea with his best friend.

"I've been thinking about your scythe," said Hidan.

"What about it?" asked Ryukmaru.

"It's not a very efficient weapon, is it?"

"Blasphemy!" Ryukmaru exclaimed. "This is the weapon that our Lord Jashin used!"

"Sorry," Hidan said, hanging his head.

Ryukmaru threw his head back and laughed. "I'm just joshin' you. You're actually right. It sucks most of the time. It's big, and it doesn't reach. That's why I need Aka so much."

"Unfortunately," admitted Hidan. "I think, though, that it could be improved. What if the head were detachable?"

"Like a boomerang?" asked Ryukmaru.

"Kinda like a boomerang," said Hidan. "I think I could rig something up to where you could put the head of the scythe on a rope or something. Then you could just throw the thing at someone and pull it back to you."

"Hm," said Ryukmaru, intrigued. "I'll ask Dad if I can lend you one to mess with. Of course, they're supposed to be for confirmed Jashinists-"

He stopped because Sapira had come threw the door. "Ryukmaru," she said sweetly, "have you told Hidan our news?"

"I haven't," he said, brightening. "Hidan, Sapira and I are pregnant!"

"Oh, wow!" Hidan exclaimed. "Congratulations!"

"Naturally, you'll be the godfather," Sapira said.

"Oh my," said Hidan. "I'm practically still a child myself, and now you want me to be a godfather!" Involuntarily, tears overwhelmed him. "I don't know what I've done to deserve all of this."

Suddenly, Aka was standing in the lawn. "Hey, dorks! Ahh, geez, what'd I stumble into?" she asked as the three were embracing.

"Ryukmaru and I are pregnant," Sapira explained.

"So of course Hidan is the one crying," said Aka. "Hidan, Ryukmaru, bromance time over. We've got a mission."

Hidan groaned. "Another one? We've barely been back a day!"

"The Daimyo requested us personally. I guess we're intimidating or something," she said, tossing Ryukmaru the scroll.

He unraveled it and glanced over its contents. "An escort mission? Ah, this will be cake," said Ryukmaru, tossing the scroll to Hidan.

Hidan read it and sighed. "I guess I'll go pack. Fuuuuuck! I was planning on sleeping in tomorrow."

"Oh, wahhhhh," Aka mocked.

Their mission was to escort the Daimyo across the Land of Wind to the Land of Rivers, a tedious journey through the desert made even more tedious with the presence of the royal court.

"It's hot," they whined.

"Take off some of your fucking clothes," Hidan muttered. Most of the court wore thick, layered clothing. Meanwhile Hidan had foregone his shirt, and Ryukmaru had even removed his black robe. He looked like a ghost walking across the desert in nothing but his pants and mesh tank.

Aka was finding the weather agreeable, as she typically wore only some mesh, a woven skirt and crop top. She was amusing herself with allowing the various men of the court to flirt with her.

Night descended, and they made camp. Aka slid into Ryukmaru and Hidan's tent.

"What, not sleeping with one of the pretty boys?" Hidan teased.

"In their dreams," said Aka. "Like I'd ever sleep with a civilian, anyways."

"Hey now," said Ryukmaru. "My wife's a civilian."

"You're a guy," sighed Aka. "It's different when you're a guy."

"How?" asked Ryukmaru.

"One word," said Aka. "Stamina."

Ryukmaru chortled and climbed into his sleeping bag, then let out a cry of pain.

"You alright?" asked Hidan politely.

"Holy fuck!" Aka cried. "Ryukmaru!"

Hidan spun around abruptly to face his friend. Ryukmaru was seizing, his body jerking violently, foamy saliva pouring out of his mouth. Hidan ripped his sleeping bag as he jumped out of it and pulled Ryukmaru out of his. A black scorpion with red spots crawled out of the bag. Aka threw a kunai at it, and it bled red pus.

Hidan rolled Ryukmaru on his side. "Aka," Hidan cried helplessly, "do you have anything to calm him?"

"I have a serum that should stop the seizure, but he's gonna need an antidote for the venom, and I don't have a clue how long we have to get that," said Aka, pushing a dart into Ryukmaru's neck. Ryukmaru stopped seizing and coughed up blood.

"Shiiit," said Aka.

Hidan passed his glowing hands over Ryukmaru's body. "He has internal bleeding. I can stall the effects, but unless we get him an antidote, I can't cure it."

"We'll take him to the next village," said Aka. "They should know their scorpions."

"No," Ryukmaru wheezed. "We can't leave the convoy unprotected."

"WE'RE NOT LETTING YOU DIE, DAMMIT!" Aka shouted.

"You stay with the convoy," said Hidan. "I'll carry him myself." He picked up and cradled Ryukmaru. Hidan's whole body glowed with healing chakra that poured into his friend.

"Hidan," wheezed Ryukmaru. "Bring my scythe."

"Why?" asked Hidan. "You can't fight."

"Not for fighting, you idiot," said Ryukmaru. "We don't know for sure there's an antidote."

"Oh, _hell_ no!" exclaimed Aka, grabbing the scythe.

"Internal bleeding is a very nasty way to go," said Ryukmaru.

Hidan looked into his friend's eyes, then at Aka's mean ones. He held out his hand to Aka. "Give it to me."

"Don't you dare, Hidan!" Aka seethed.

"We don't know for sure there's an antidote," Hidan repeated.

"Motherfuck," said Aka, reluctantly handing it over. "Why do you guys always have to be so dramatic?"

Hidan took his katana out of its sheath on his back, handed it to Aka, and slipped the scythe in. Its head poked his neck, and he fumbled to keep it strapped in. "We'll see you at the village," he said.

"You better," Aka said.

* * *

The oasis town was a hundred miles away. Hidan collapsed of exhaustion at a pool of water and started drinking greedily, then offered some to Ryukmaru.

"Geez, where are you boys from?" asked a woman who had been feeding the birds.

"Please," Hidan gasped. "My friend was poisoned. Scorpion."

'What'd it look like?" she asked.

"Small," he said, approximating the length with his fingers. "It was black with red spots."

The woman gasped. "And he's still alive?"

"I'm a medical nin," Hidan said, picking up Ryukmaru again and pushing healing chakra into him.

"That's some power," the woman said. "You'll want to take him to the apothecary over yonder." She gestured. "But that antidote'll cost you."

"Fuck," Hidan cursed. They hadn't thought to bring any money. "Well, thank you, ma'am," he said, and he carried his friend to the building she'd pointed out.

The apothecary was sleeping when Hidan barged in all aglow, and the old man picked up a sword and waved it at Hidan threateningly. "Now now now what's the big idea? I'm but a humble man. I don't want no trouble now from no shinobi folk."

"I don't want to hurt you," said Hidan. "Please. My friend was bitten by a scorpion."

"Oh, oh, yes, now, what kind was it now?"

"Small, black with red spots."

"ARE YOU SURE?!" the man exclaimed. "Your friend is dead, sonny."

"I can sustain his life," said Hidan, "but I can't do it forever."

"No, that you can't, now, see here, that's the Shinigami Scorpion. I don't got nothing for that here."

Hidan clenched his muscles. "As in there's nothing that can be done, or you just don't have the ingredients?"

"Oh, well now, you see, that particular scorpion being what it is, all the antidote is stored at the mayor's, and he won't be handing it over to just anybody now then."

"Do you have the ingredients or not? Can you make me some?"

"It takes days, sonny."

"I'll wait," said Hidan.

"Hidan, you'll drain yourself," Ryukmaru choked.

"No, I won't," said Hidan.

The apothecary nodded. "Well then, I'll get to work."

Hidan and Ryukmaru caused a bit of a stir in the oasis. They sat outside of the apothecary's hut, Hidan constantly healing Ryukmaru. Women brought them food and water on the regular and requested the strangers visit them "when they were done," with a wink. Others brought their sick children and pets for Hidan to heal, which he did.

On the day the antidote was ready, two armed men came to the apothecary's. "We heard you made a new batch of Shinigami antidote," said the man.

"Well, yes, but-" the apothecary started.

"Excellent. The mayor thanks you warmly for your services," the man said, handing the apothecary a coin and snatching the vial of antidote.

"But sir, please," the apothecary stammered.

Hidan overheard the conversation and approached the armed men calmly. "He was making the antidote for us, kind sirs," Hidan explained. "My friend here is dying of a Shinigami bite."

"And what are you?" asked the man. "We trade this stuff to the capital, and the profits keep this oasis thriving. You're not even from around here, are you, shinobi?" The man took his sword and tapped Hidan's headband. "Run along now."

Hidan grabbed the man's sword by the blade. "I'm going to ask you again," he said calmly. Blood started dripping down his hand as he yanked the sword away from the man.

"Oh, you don't want to be doing that, now," said the man, but the other was staring wide-eyed as Hidan flipped the sword around. Hidan took a towel out of his bag and wiped the sword and his unscathed hand.

"Perhaps, a compromise? We'll give you the antidote, if you can pay," said the second man.

"Sure, we could forward you a payment," said Hidan. "I don't have any money on me, but my village would surely-"

"Forget it, kid," said the first man. "This stuff is rare, and its reserved for VIPs. You're just gonna have to scram."

Hidan looked at the second man. "Is this guy for real?" he asked. "Well, I suppose you can't be persuaded, then." He handed the sword back to the first man.

The man flinched, then, seeing Hidan wasn't stabbing him, bowed slightly and took the sword. "So glad you underst-"

Hidan's spear flew through the man's mouth. The second man slashed at Hidan with his sword, and Hidan blocked it with his arm while reaching for the scythe. The man backed up when he saw yet again Hidan was unflinching as metal pierced his skin.

"What are you?" he gasped.

Hidan laughed and licked his wound. It steamed as his flesh repaired itself. Hidan swung the scythe, and it met the man's sword. Hidan was able to pry the sword out of the man's hand with a flip of the blade. The second man fell to his knees and threw up his hands just as Hidan was swinging the scythe downward, but Hidan stopped before it made contact with the man's head.

"You're a coward," Hidan spat.

"Yep," said the man. "Take what you want."

Hidan retrieved his spear, then found the vial still enclosed in the first man's hand. He returned the spear and the scythe before tossing the sword back on the ground for the man, and he exited the shop.


	8. Facing Death

When Ryukmaru awoke, they were no longer at the oasis town. Hidan was sitting atop a rock cleaning the scythe. Ryukmaru coughed. "What happened?"

"Nothing," said Hidan. "We're meeting the convoy here."

Ryukmaru sat upright, pleased to find his stomach no longer felt like it was full of knives. "Wow," said Ryukmaru. "Thanks."

"RYUKMARU!" called a woman, and in an instant Aka was on top of him. "Oh my gosh, you're alive!"

"Yeah, thanks to Hidan," said Ryukmaru. "Damn, Aka, it's almost like you actually care or something."

Aka let go of him. "Of course I care, dork. We've been in the field together too much for me not to care. And YOU-!" She pointed the katana at Hidan. "You are just..." She threw her arms around him.

He took back his katana and handed the scythe back to Ryukmaru. "You feeling up to the rest of this trip?" Hidan asked Ryukmaru.

"I mean, I couldn't fight right now, but I think I'll manage walking at their pace," said Ryukmaru. "If I get tired, you can just carry me, right, Hidan?"

Hidan laughed. "Sure, Princess. Whatever your Grace requires."

When they returned home, Lord Jiro summoned Hidan and Ryukmaru into his office.

"If that old man sends us off on another mission already, I swear to Jashin...!" Ryukmaru cursed. Hidan opened the door to the office for them, and Ryukmaru bowed to Lord Jiro, followed by Hidan.

"Ryukmaru, Hidan," Lord Jiro began. "I am so happy to see you both, especially you, Ryukmaru. But first, I have some rather grim business I must address. I have received correspondence from the Hidden Sand. They're investigating an incident that occurred in Oasis Town. I understand the both of you were the last shinobi seen there, so naturally, they begged me to inquire."

"An incident?" Hidan asked, swallowing a nervous lump in his throat. "What kind of incident, Lord Kage?"

"The mayor and all of his guard have been brutally slaughtered," said Lord Jiro.

Ryukmaru gasped and looked at Hidan. "Well, I was unconscious for most of the time there. Did you see anything, Hidan?"

"I...uhhh...," Hidan said, starting to sweat. "See anything? I thought only to help Ryukmaru, I..."

Jiro laughed. "Relax, Hidan. I don't suspect either of you were involved. Apparently this man had many enemies, so pinpointing his attacker would take more effort than they feel it's worth. I'll just send back that you don't know anything, and that'll be that. Now then, Hidan, Ryukmaru, what I really called you in here for. I'd like to bestow upon both of you a special honor."

"A special honor, sir?" Hidan asked, still in shock from the previous exchange.

"Your bravery and loyalty is unparalleled in our village," said Lord Jiro. "I'm awarding each of you medals of honor, and doubling your earnings for the previous mission."

They bowed deeply. "Thank you, Lord Jiro!"

"You bring great honor to this village," said Lord Jiro.

"Lord Jiro," Hidan said. "If I may, I would like to forward my earnings to Oasis Town, in sympathy for their great losses."

Jiro smiled. "Yes, I will make the arrangements. Oh, Hidan, you are too good for this world."

* * *

When they came home, Sapira was at the Kuros' tower, laying on a couch. Ryukmaru rushed to her side, and she threw her arms around him, crying.

"Shhh, it's okay," said Ryukmaru. "I'm here. It's going to take much more than that to kill me."

"I lost the baby," she whispered. Ryukmaru froze. "I know I'm not supposed to despair, but..."

"No, it's fine," he said, tears coming to his eyes. They gripped each other violently, crying.

Hidan was intercepted by Tenshi in the doorway, and she explained what had happened.

"Oh no," he said. "Well, I'll leave them their space, then. But I guess I can talk to you and Sogiya just the same."

"What is it, Hidan?" she asked. "We're having a hard time here right now."

"I'm ready to join," said Hidan. "I want to be a Jashinist."

She raised her eyebrows, and a smile passed over her face. "Oh, my, well yes, let me get Sogiya. This is joyful news indeed." She rushed back inside. "Sogiya? Sogiya, Ryukmaru! Hidan has something to tell us. Come, come."

Hidan stood in the lobby, and the Kuros gathered around him. "Yes, Hidan?" asked Sogiya.

"I want to be a Jashinist," he repeated confidently.

"Why?" asked Sogiya.

"It took me a while to come around," said Hidan. "The way I was raised, it is very different from what you preach. But it all makes sense to me now. I had been thinking very seriously about this, when Ryukmaru asked me to be his child's godfather. By the way, I am so, so very sorry..."

"Don't," said Ryukmaru, raising a hand and wincing. "What's done is done. Welcome, my brother."

"Hidan," said Sogiya. "As a shinobi, you will have extra responsibilities as a Jashinist. You will learn our jutsu, and you will assist in our sacrifices. Are you sure you want this?"

"When Ryukmaru was dying in the desert, I would have ended his life, if I had to," said Hidan. "I didn't, of course, praise Jashin."

"Praise Jashin," they all echoed.

Sogiya nodded. "Then come," he said. "Let us begin."

* * *

Hidan loved to kill.

He hadn't wanted to admit it, and it made him feel dirty. At first, he even prayed for relief from the feeling, but the more he learned from the Kuros, the more okay he was with it. For wasn't it written that death was a gift? Then with his scythe, Hidan would be the most benevolent of all shinobi.

His study of the jutsu of Jashin involved the sacrifice of many animals. Sogiya always selected old, lame creatures. He traveled with Sogiya across the country, visiting many Jashinist communities. Most of the farmers in the Land of Hot Water, he discovered, were Jashinists.

"Are there Jashinists around the world, then?" Hidan asked him.

"No," said Sogiya. "There are a few communities in the Land of Wind, but it's mostly a unique religion to the Land of Hot Water, the home of the Kuro clan."

"Oh," said Hidan. "Why don't we spread it further?"

"We are an isolated nation," said Sogiya. "Of course, anyone seeking our help is welcome, but we Hot Water folk don't get out much." Sogiya laughed.

"Hm," was all Hidan said.

When he finished his training, Hidan was ready to make his first unassisted sacrifice, the final step in becoming a Jashinist shinobi. The sacrifice was a man who had been kicked in the head by a draft horse and was now in a vegetative state.

Sogiya and Ryukmaru carried him to the top room of the tower and laid him in the center of the Kuro crest painted on the floor. They nodded, and left Hidan alone with him.

Hidan laid down his scythe, for there would be no need for it here. He found the urn that contained _The Way of Jashin_ , and he found the page where he needed to read:

 _Lord Jashin, I, Your humble servant, have seen the suffering of this world, and I do in Your holy name pledge myself to ending suffering wherever I find may find it. In Your holy name, I do in good conscience sacrifice this life to Your care, for this world can offer no more relief. I, Your humble servant, do swear this, in Your holy name. And we do not despair in this moment, but we thank You for the gift of death You brought into this world, a gift all will receive in their time._

Hidan took the man's hand. "And now your time has come," he said. With his free hand, he made the necessary sign. "For Jashin. Life-drain jutsu." Hidan placed his hand on the man's heart so he could feel when the jutsu was complete.

Hidan opened the door, and Sogiya entered. Sogiya checked the man's vital signs and nodded. "Well done, Hidan. You have completed your training." He clapped him on the shoulder. "We're really glad to have you with us."

"I'm glad to be here," said Hidan. "Although, I expected this moment to feel different."

"How so?" asked Sogiya.

"I don't know," said Hidan. "I guess I don't feel much right now."

"That is a good sign," said Sogiya. "You've approached your sacrifice devoid of emotion."

"Jashin says we should rejoice at death," said Hidan. "But I am not rejoicing."

"You're human," said Sogiya. "We don't want to kill, Hidan, but we do what is right. You've done well. Now, let's celebrate."

The Kuros had prepared a feast in honor of Hidan's first unassisted sacrifice, and Hidan was allowed to drink blood for the first time.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Oh, they're here! I've got it!" Tenshi said happily.

"Who's here?" Hidan asked. Tenshi returned, followed by Hiro and Atsumi. "Mom! Dad!" Hidan exclaimed, hugging them.

"Congratulations, Hidan," said Hiro.

"I didn't think you'd come," said Hidan. Hiro and Atsumi hadn't been thrilled that Hidan was going to become a Jashinist. Hiro had read some of the _Way_ and scoffed, as he did every religious text he'd ever read, and Atsumi was extremely put off by the idea of sacrifices.

"It's important to you, so it's important to us," said Atsumi. "If this is what you want, then we will support you."

They sat down at the table and ate, and when they'd all had their fill, Hiro said, "Hidan, we've been thinking it's time now you had your own space."

"My own space?" he asked. "You're kicking me out?"

"Of course not," laughed Atsumi. "We bought you a house!"

Hidan nearly choked on the blood. "You bought me a house?!"

"You are your own man now," said Hiro. "You should have your own space."

"It's next to us!" Sapira squealed. "We're just like one big extended family!"

"Jashinism has been on the decline this past decade," said Sogiya, "with the Kuro clan dwindling, and having very few shinobi in our ranks. But Hidan has given me new hope. To Jashin." He raised his glass.

"To Jashin," everyone echoed.

* * *

Hidan was assigned a genin squad. They were three boys, the most obnoxious of which being Aka's nephew, Ikki Saito. Ikki was one of those children who had gotten away with everything on account of being cute. He had fluffy red hair, thousands of freckles, and about half the talent Aka had.

Hidan was meeting his squad to take them on their first mission. When he approached, Ikki was shooting down birds with his blow dart while the other two boys, Gaku and Futoshi, squealed in delight. Hidan's blood boiled.

"What are you doing?!" he barked, smacking Ikki on the back of the head with the handle of his scythe.

"Practicing," answered Ikki.

"Practicing," Hidan repeated incredulously. "You have been granted this ability, Ikki, and you abuse it." He picked up the birds and attempted to heal them, then cursed. "You used a killing serum?"

"They're just birds," Ikki responded. "Who cares?"

"The birds care," said Hidan. "If you have no respect for life, you have no right to take it. Now come on. We're looking for a damn cat."

The boys groaned. "A cat? That's our first mission?"

"You seriously think that you deserve to represent this village in battle?" Hidan growled. "You think you can look death in the face?"

Gaku and Futoshi shook their heads no, but Ikki was stubborn. "I am," said Ikki. "I'm a Saito. I'll face anything."

Hidan smiled. "Okay, little boy. Face me," he snarled.

"Alright," said Ikki. "You're on."

Ikki readied his blow dart, and Hidan drew his scythe. A light spar ensued, in which Hidan used his scythe to deflect a paralyzing dart back to Ikki, and Ikki became hit with his own weapon. Gaku and Futoshi laughed.

Hidan raised his scythe threateningly over Ikki, and they all held their breath. Ikki's eyes widened, and he started to cry. Hidan laughed, then put his scythe back in its sheath on his back. "You faced death, and you despaired. You faced death, and you cried. You are not ready." He found the antidote in Ikki's bag and stuck him with it, and Ikki was mobile again. "Now, go fetch that damn cat." He threw the mission instruction scroll at them.

"Yes, Hidan-sensei," the boys said with a collective bow, and they scattered.


	9. All Will Be Well

Hidan went straight to Lord Jiro. "Lord Jiro," said Hidan with a bow, "the genin of this village are weak. They have no respect for life and death. They dream of spilling blood, yet they tremble at the thought of their own blood being spilt."

"Well, we can't all repair our own flesh, can we, Hidan?" Lord Jiro said with a twinkle in his eye. "You and your teammates broke the mold. These genin are typical of the shinobi this village produces. That is why I have entrusted you with them."

"I'd like to instruct them in the Way of Jashin, sir," said Hidan.

"The Way of Jashin? The Kuros' death cult?" Lord Jiro asked incredulously.

"Jashinism teaches respect for life and death," said Hidan. "Jashinists do not fear death. If all our shinobi kept the commandments of Jashin, we would be formidable."

"This is not a religious institution, Hidan. I cannot indoctrinate our children into a religion by force."

"It wouldn't have to be by force," said Hidan. "Just let me teach the commandments. Do you know them, Lord Jiro?"

"No," said Lord Jiro, "and I really don't care to. You are free to worship as you wish, Hidan, but keep your religion to yourself. Teach your genin to be good shinobi, and all will be well." Hidan was so frustrated he could barely find words to fit his thoughts. "Hidan, this isn't a great nation. We are a sliver of land between a desert and an ocean. We have no need to raise armies here. We just need a few good ninja to protect our civilians, alright?"

Hidan couldn't believe what he was hearing. "With all due respect, Lord Jiro...your apathy will cause this village great suffering. If the Hidden Sand ever decided to turn on us, we would be eaten alive!"

They were interrupted by Ikki, Gaku and Futoshi. "We found the cat, Lord Jiro," they said, bowing. Ikki walked forward and handed Lord Jiro the scroll signed by the client.

"Splendid!" exclaimed Lord Jiro. "See, Hidan, your squad has been successful. All is well."

"I request a sabbatical," said Hidan.

Jiro laughed. "But you only began to teach these genin!"

"I'm sorry I wasn't clear," said Hidan. "I'm _taking_ a sabbatical."

"But your genin!"

"They found the damn cat, didn't they? Evidently that's what we do here in Yugakure. All is, as you say, well. So I'm taking a religious sabbatical, got that?"

Jiro glared at him. "Fine," he said.

"Does that make us chunin now?" Ikki asked.

"No, Ikki, I'll find you a new teacher," Lord Jiro grumbled. "Hidan," he started, but Hidan had already slammed the door behind him.

* * *

Hidan traveled far and wide, and he brought many into the Jashinist fold. He also performed many sacrifices.

"This is unbelievable," said Sogiya. "The Kuros have always kept the details of our religion under wraps, but you...you just..."

"I knocked on doors," said Hidan. "It's what my mother used to do, and it worked! I feel energized, Sogiya. Jashin's name is being praised as far as the Land of Rivers, and hundreds are making pilgrimage here to seek His comfort."

"Well, we must be ready to receive them!" Sogiya exclaimed.

"It's good to have you back, Hidan," said Ryukmaru. "And nice scythe!"

"So it's okay that I made modifications?" Hidan asked. He pulled the scythe off his back. It had three blades instead of one, and they were painted red. "She's the end result of many experiments and tinkering. Shall I show you? Is there an animal we can sacrifice?"

"I'm sure we could find one," said Ryukmaru.

They found an old mule with a broken leg. Hidan and Ryukmaru stood on the outside of the farmer's fence, and Hidan pulled out his scythe. He swung it backwards, and the head flew off the handle. Hidan guided it towards the mule using the metal rope he'd attached to the head, and once it made contact with the mule, he whipped it back to him. He licked the blood off the scythe, then made the necessary hand sign. "Life Drain Jutsu," he declared, and his skin turned black except for the silhouette of his skeleton, and the mule collapsed.

Ryukmaru watched in wonder. "That's genius!" he exclaimed. "You are just full of more and more surprises, Hidan."

Hidan ended his work and smiled. "I can make all the scythes work like this," he said. "Of course, it takes some practice to use it."

"Teach me," said Ryukmaru. "That's awesome for battle."

"Yeah," said Hidan. "If we ever actually see battle."

"What do you mean?" asked Ryukmaru.

"Okay," said Hidan, "you know those brat genin I had to teach?"

"Aka's shitty nephew and the rest? Yeah, I remember them," said Ryukmaru.

"I went to Lord Jiro to complain about them before I took my sabbatical," said Hidan. "And you know what he said to me?"

"Have faith, they're just kids?" guessed Ryukmaru.

"Worse," said Hidan. "He basically said their attitude didn't matter as long as they learn the skills, because the Hot Water Village is never going to amount to anything."

"Psh," said Ryukmaru. "With all the resorts that keep popping up around here, they're going to need a strong shinobi force in this country to protect all the tourists."

"Exactly!" said Hidan. "Anyways, that's why I got mad and left. I wanted to teach my kids Jashinism, but Lord Jiro said I couldn't. So I wanted to prove to him that Jashinism really could change the country for the better."

"That's a lofty goal," said Ryukmaru. "Sometimes I think you take this stuff way too seriously, Hidan."

"Well, sometimes I don't think anyone takes anything seriously enough around here," said Hidan. "Fucking Ikki Saito, he was killing birds out of the air like it was nothing." Ryukmaru chuckled softly. "What's funny?" Hidan asked. "That's a crime against Jashin, killing innocent, healthy creatures."

"It's a crime for us," said Ryukmaru.

"Yeah, that's what I mean," said Hidan.

"No, I don't think you get it," said Ryukmaru. "It's a crime for us because we're Jashinists. People outside of Jashin's laws aren't bound to Jashin's laws."

"What?!" Hidan gasped. "You're saying Ikki was innocent because he wasn't a Jashinist?"

"Well, nobody is innocent," said Ryukmaru. "But yeah. You can't hold the Ikkis of the world to our standard. He's not one of Jashin's chosen."

"Well, what about me?" asked Hidan. "I'm not a Kuro. Am I one of Jashin's chosen?"

"You're as much a Kuro as anyone I know," Ryukmaru said with a short laugh. "Yes, in completing your training, you're among Jashin's chosen. But those who aren't Jashinists aren't bound to the commandments."

"That makes no sense," said Hidan. "If Jashin is...well, Jashin...then His commandments apply to everyone, whether they know them or not. That's why we have to make them known. And anyways, they're good commandments. Good for shinobi, good for people in general."

"Well, naturally I agree with you, but, I'm just saying you can't fly off the handle in the name of Jashin because a punk kid kills some fucking birds," said Ryukmaru. "And you can still teach kids the Way of Jashin without explicitly making it a theology lesson. They'll learn by the example you set. They'll see you're a badass, and slowly they'll learn. That's the best way, I always thought. That's why I didn't hand you the _Way of Jashin_ the second you walked through our door."

"I kinda wish you would have, though," Hidan confessed.

"Well, you're a strange one, Hidan," said Ryukmaru.

* * *

Sogiya and Tenshi had welcomed a new pilgrim into the tower. She was a middle aged woman with tan skin and golden hair. She sat down at their table and accepted the bread and meat they offered. "So," Sogiya began, "what brings you here, miss?"

"I am a widow from the Land of Wind," she said. "I used to be rich and powerful. Now I have nothing."

"I'm very sorry to hear that," said Sogiya. "May we ask what happened to your husband?"

"He was murdered," she said bitterly. "Murdered by some renegade shinobi." She started to cry, and Tenshi put her arms around her.

"How would you like us to help, dear?" asked Tenshi.

"Just to be clear," said Sogiya, "we don't kill healthy women just because they're sad, if that's what you're after."

"Oh no," said the widow bitterly, "of course not."

"Then how can we help you?" Tenshi asked again.

"This symbol around your neck," the widow said, touching Tenshi's necklace, "it's the same one that's on your door. What is it?"

"It's the symbol of our clan," Tenshi answered.

"It was drawn on his wall," said the widow.

"I'm sorry?" Tenshi asked incredulously.

"In his blood," the widow said. "Or someone's blood. It's hard to say. There was so much blood."

Sogiya smacked his hands on the table in urgency. "Are you sure?" he asked. "That's a serious accusation."

"Oh, I would remember that symbol anywhere," said the widow.

Sogiya and Tenshi exchanged alarmed looks. "Someone is taking the name of Jashin in vain," said Tenshi.

"Dammit!" Sogiya shouted. "This is why we don't share the Way with just anybody. People don't understand, and they twist it, and they think they can justify all kinds of murders with it. We need to talk to Hidan. He needs to stop his meddling."

"Miss, we are so sorry," said Tenshi. "But we are glad you have brought this to us. Please, if you would like, you may stay here."

"Oh, no thank you," said the widow. "But thanks for your kindness and hospitality." She stood up with urgency, pushed in her chair, and ran out of the tower.

"Wait!" said Sogiya, then he looked at Tenshi. "I want every Jashinist in this country assembled. We must make sure this doesn't happen again."

"Poor dear," said Tenshi. "We never even got her name." She wrapped her arms around Sogiya.

"Do you hear that?" Sogiya asked.

Tenshi lifted her head off his chest. "It sounds like...a bah-"

* * *

Hidan, Ryukmaru and Sapira were walking towards the tower when they heard the explosion. A disheveled woman pushed past them, looked back towards the tower nervously, and continued on.

"That doesn't sound good," said Ryukmaru. The rumbling echoed through the trees like a rock slide in the mountains.

"Is that the tower?" Sapira asked nervously.

"Come on!" Ryukmaru shouted, running toward the source of the noise. Hidan followed, and Sapira trailed behind them as fast as she could.

The front of the tower was intact, but a cloud of smoke and dust was drifting from the back side. The animals were all in a tizzy, squawking and braying in alarm. Ryukmaru was first to arrive on the scene, and he cried in horror at what he saw.

There was a massive hole in the back of the tower, and a pile of rock and concrete was spread across their backyard. "MOM! DAD!" Ryukmaru screamed.

"Son...," came a hoarse voice.

"DAD!" Ryukmaru shouted in hope. "Dad, I'm coming for you!" He bounded over the pile of rock, and he saw Sogiya's head sticking out from under a pile of rock where the dining room had been. "Oh, Jashin! Oh, Dad, what happened? I'll get you out."

"Don't," said Sogiya, coughing up blood. "I'll be with Jashin soon."

"No!" cried Ryukmaru. "No, you can't. Where's Mom?" Ryukmaru started hoisting up rocks and throwing them aside, and he saw that the bottom half of Sogiya's body had been completely mangled.

"You don't want to see me and your mother like this, son," said Sogiya. "Son, you're the head of the Kuro clan now, and the head of our Way..."

"No, no no no no no!" Ryukmaru wept. "I'm not ready!"

"You are ready," said Sogiya. "You have a good woman and a good friend at your side. With them, I'm sure you can face all the challenges ahead of you. And there are challenges, son. Someone is taking the Way of Jashin in vain. Someone..." He vomited blood and pus.

"Stop, Dad," said Ryukmaru. "Let me end your suffering."

"Beware," Sogiya wheezed. "A woman planted a bomb in our house, a woman who came to tell uhhhhhh..." He hacked, and Ryukmaru couldn't take it anymore.

"Dad?" Ryukmaru asked, weaving the proper hand sign.

Sogiya nodded. "Thank you, son."

Ryukmaru whispered, "Life Drain Jutsu."

Sapira clung to Hidan, and she buried her head in his shoulder and sobbed when she saw what was happening.

"The woman," Hidan whispered.

"What?" asked Sapira.

"THE WOMAN WE PASSED, REMEMBER?!" he cried. "I've got to stop her!" He freed himself from Sapira and rushed away from the scene.

The widow had reached the outskirts of Yugakure when Hidan landed in front of her. "Hello," he said. "Do you know anything about Sogiya and Tenshi Kuro?"

"Fuck the Kuro clan," said the widow, trying to push past him.

Hidan pulled his scythe out of its sheath. "Two fine people died needlessly today," said Hidan. "Someone planted a bomb in their house."

"Fuck off," she said again. "A Kuro murdered my husband, the mayor of Oasis Town in the Land of Wind, and them good for nothing shinobi won't do a damn thing about it. I have no sympathy for the likes of them."

"So you blew them up?" Hidan clarified, following her.

"So what if I did? Because of them, I have nothing to live for. What are you going to do, take me in and lock me up? Fine," she said.

He stood in front of her, and she stopped. "Would you say you are suffering, child?"

"Fuck off," she said again, and she made a last attempt to get away. Hidan threw his scythe and grazed the back of her shoulder. She fell on the ground, and turned her head in wide-eyed terror. Hidan licked her blood off the scythe. "Oh, hell, you're one of them, aren't you?" she asked.

As Hidan's flesh turned black with his skeleton outlined, he said, "I am no Kuro, but I am ordained by Jashin."

"What the hell is a Jashin?" she asked.

"Your salvation, bitch," said Hidan, and he jammed his spear through his stomach.

* * *

Hayato used Earth-style to remove the rubble, and Sogiya's and Tenshi's bodies were recovered. Atsumi's medical team carried them to the morgue where Hidan met her. He brought the widow's body.

"Oh, Hidan," Atsumi murmured, "this is just awful! And who is this?"

"It's the woman who planted the bomb," said Hidan. "She committed suicide."

"Oh dear," said Atsumi. "Thank you, Hidan."

"Can I see their bodies?" asked Hidan.

"They're in pieces," said Atsumi, and she broke into a deep sob. "Sogiya is more together than Tenshi..."

"I can repair them," said Hidan.

"Oh, Hidan," Atsumi cooed. "Are you sure you can handle that? I know they were like a second set of parents to you."

"That's why I want to," said Hidan. "It'll be my last gift for them, and for Ryukmaru. How is he?"

"He and Sapira went with Aka," said Atsumi. "I think they're all at the Saitos'. Hayato's getting a team together to rebuild the tower."

"Good," said Hidan. "That tower has stood since the Kuro clan first came to Yugakure. It must never fall."

* * *

After the Kuros' burial, the mourners gathered in the tower for the funeral feast. Hidan sat at the right hand of Ryukmaru.

"Thank you all for coming. All of your support in this trying time has meant more to me than you can know. And a special toast to my sensei, Hayato, for overseeing the rebuilding of this tower, which has been the home of my clan for generations," Ryukmaru said. Everyone clapped respectfully for Hayato, and they raised their glasses.

"So when will you and Sapira be moving in?" asked Hidan. "Head of the clan."

"I can take no delight in that title," said Ryukmaru. "We will not be moving in for quite some time, I suspect. When I have our first child, I think. Then we can use the space properly." He smiled at Sapira, who returned it, though there was a pain detectable in that exchange.

"Even so, it oughtn't sit vacant," said Hidan. "We must take care of it."

"Of course," said Ryukmaru. "It's what my parents would want."


	10. Mortality

Sapira thought she heard screaming when she entered the tower, but the sound abruptly subsided, and she brushed it off as wind. She ran her hands over the shelves, not a speck of dust on them. Then, she heard footsteps descending the stairs. She gasped, and turned to see Hidan wiping down his scythe.

"Sapira?" he asked. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes," she said nervously. "You are taking very good care of this tower."

"Well, it means a lot to me, as I know it does Ryukmaru," said Hidan. He set down his scythe on the table. "Is he still out on that mission?"

"Yes," said Sapira. Ryukmaru had been put in charge of the genin that Hidan had abandoned. They'd since become chunin, and Ryukmaru was gone for more and more extended periods of time with them, leaving Sapira alone.

"Let's have a drink," said Hidan. "I have some blood in the fridge."

"Oh, yes, thank you," said Sapira. She sighed and followed him into the kitchen. "When I first came to this tower, I thought it was the most magnificent thing I'd ever seen."

"It is, isn't it?" asked Hidan. "I am jealous of you sometimes. By marrying into the clan, you get to inherit this."

"Yeah, though you currently spend more time here than we do," said Sapira, accepting a glass of blood.

"I'm sure Jashin will bless you with a child some day," said Hidan.

Sapira laughed. "Jashin is Death! He does not grant children, Hidan. You know that."

He smiled. "You know your scriptures."

"Like the back of my hand," said Sapira. "Though I could certainly use a fertility god about now."

"I'll let you know if I ever meet one," Hidan said, trying to keep the conversation light.

Sapira raised her glass to that, then sighed again. "The doctors say we may not be able to conceive."

Hidan hadn't heard this. "Oh, I'm so sorry," said Hidan.

"But I must!" Sapira burst. "It would mean the end of the clan if I do not."

"Is that what this is? All things must come to an end, Sapira," said Hidan. "Ryukmaru didn't marry you just so the Kuro clan would have an heir."

"We haven't tried much, at any rate," said Sapira. "After his parents died, it all became too much. I take my fertility herbs, of course, but you know what they say. Sometimes two people just don't go together."

"Whatever happens, I'm sure it will be fine," said Hidan.

Sapira finished her blood and looked Hidan directly in the eyes. "What if you got me pregnant?"

Hidan pushed his chair backwards in shock. "Sapira! I…"

"You are as much a Kuro as Ryukmaru," she said. "If not in blood, then definitely in spirit. And who has been head of the Jashinists since Sogiya died?"

"Ryukmaru is!"

"In title only!" Sapira shot back. "All the major decisions have been yours, Hidan. Ryukmaru simply spoke them. And you've performed way more sacrifices than he has."

"He's been busy with his new team," stammered Hidan, but her words were ringing true.

Sapira took his hand. "I've watched both of you for years now. Ryukmaru is Jashin's chosen by blood, but you...you are Jashin's chosen by choice."

"I can't do this to Ryukmaru," said Hidan. "He's my best friend. I'm sorry."

"Ryukmaru wants a son," said Sapira. "Why not give him one? It would be a gift! A gift to the clan, and a gift to Jashin!"

"Go, Sapira," said Hidan. "I can't do what you are asking. I am sorry."

* * *

Lord Jiro assembled all the jonin and chunin to the capitol. Ryukmaru and his team had returned from their mission.

"As many of you have probably heard, our allies the Hidden Sand are preparing for war. They have asked us to join them in this endeavor," said Lord Jiro. Murmurs of assent throughout the room. Hidan caught Ryukmaru's eye and nodded. "However," said Lord Jiro, "as you know, our numbers are small. Our nation is booming with success as a vacation resort. Therefore, I have informed them that Yugakure will not take part in this war. We have a duty to not only the citizens of this country, but also our guests. Our presence will not be missed on the global stage. From now on, our priority as shinobi will be in keeping peace at home."

Sighs of relief and further murmurs rippled through the room. Hidan stood up. "Jiro, this is madness! We can't disrespect our allies by refusing their request! And now all of the world will believe we are weak!"

"Hidan," said Lord Jiro, ringing his hands, "if I send you all to battle, and you all die, then we truly _will_ be weak. Worse, there will be no more Yugakare, and our nation would then be dissolved into the Land of Wind. Is that what you want, Hidan?"

"I want to serve my purpose as a shinobi, and shinobi are warriors. We were made to fight, and to die, and to kill," said Hidan. "If it's numbers you worry about, then don't send us all. Send me alone, for I cannot die!"

"What, what, what's this? You can't die?" Lord Jiro laughed. "Hidan, you have grown more arrogant each time I've seen you, but to claim immortality-"

Hidan whipped out his spear and thrust it through his heart. They all shrieked, but Hidan spread his arms and laughed. "My body heals itself. I've practiced my art so much, that I do not even need to think of it. It's automatic. I lost an arm once." Everyone gasped. "It was an accident with my scythe. I got distracted when I was pulling it back to me, and I lost an arm. Sliced clear off my body. I picked it up, and healed myself. I have cut my throat, severed my spine, sliced every major artery, I have been burned, mangled, and yet here I stand, my heart still pumping blood through my veins even though it is impaled. I have not been sick, not so much as a cough, since I was a child. So yes, Lord Jiro, I think it is pretty safe to say, that I am immortal. I will still be here on this shithole of a planet when all of you are long in your graves." Hidan removed the spear, sending a splatter of blood across the table. Much like his involuntary self-healing, tears were involuntarily falling from his eyes. "I beg you, Lord Jiro, if I cannot receive the gift of death, let me live a purposeful life. Let me go to war, and let me lead any who feel the same into war. I am, at my heart, a medical ninja. I will make sure as many as possible come home alive."

Everyone sat in stunned silence.

"Well," stuttered Lord Jiro, "does anybody else...want to go to war?"

Everyone looked at each other and murmured, but nobody stirred.

"Ryukmaru?" Hidan asked.

Ryukmaru shook his head. "I want peace, Hidan."

"You forget who you are!" Hidan bellowed, and he stormed out.

He ran to the top of the Kuro tower, and he allowed tears to gush from his eyes. He fell to his knees, and he shouted, "JASHIN!" The shout echoed down the empty spiral staircase, and through the abandoned rooms. "Jashin, I know You hear me. If there were any time to reveal Yourself and speak, that time would be now. I need Your guidance, Jashin. I am scared. I live in a world that is deaf to Your reason and wisdom. Even Your own chosen clan, they have been reduced to indifference and complacency. This is a world where civilians take life on a whim, and warriors must seek permission to do the same. And now I fear I will have to endure this world for all eternity, until You come down and destroy us all, to end the madness, and even then, I fear I might still be here. How is it that I, Your most devoted servant, cannot receive Your gift? And now I am condemned to watch this world burn and suffer for their sins. Is this punishment for taking the life of my mother? Are You punishing me, Jashin? Have I not been a good servant? Have I not taught Your commandments across the land? Have I not performed countless sacrifices in Your name? Why must I then bear this burden? What is Your game? Where the fuck are You? Where is my relief?" He pounded the ground in frustration, causing his knuckles to bleed, and watched as the skin immediately healed itself. "When You walked this planet, and You saw a problem, You fixed it," Hidan said, more thinking aloud now than praying to his god. "Could it really be, that even You cannot fix me? Or is it that I am supposed to fix myself? Would Ryukmaru end my suffering? But he couldn't, could he? It would be against the commandments, would it not? I am neither terminally sick, nor otherwise incapacitated, nor will I ever be." He laughed out loud. "And that means...that means I have...I have cheated Death! Perhaps You can't even hear me! Perhaps that's how far above You I have now become! Perhaps...perhaps I am..." And then a sinful thought entered Hidan's brain. "No, no, that's blasphemy, that cannot be," he mused. "And yet, my very existence is a blasphemy, for it is written that everything and everyone must die. So if I cannot die...then I must be as a god on earth!" He stood up. "Well, why shouldn't it be so? Jashin did it, did he not? So why not Hidan? Why not..." He looked up. "Why not fix the problem that is humanity? That is the problem, after all. Jashin gave his word to a mortal man when He became Death, and He entrusted them to carry it out. But what happens when the people don't do what they're asked? What happens when even the chosen people are content to compromise their own convictions? Then it is up to the god to intervene." He laughed happily and clapped his hands. "Oh, Jashin! Everything in my life has brought me here! I am Your new chosen! I will walk the earth for all eternity in Your name, and I will put an end to all who defy You! This is my purpose! My burden is Your new gift, and I shall bring Your gift to all the world! From henceforth, call me not Hidan, but Jashin, for now He and I are one!" He scrambled to find a blank scroll and some ink. "The era of the Kuros is over. The era of Hidan begins today! Here I shall record my gospel. Here shall be the new Way."

* * *

Hidan had scribbled all through the night and was awakened by a knock on the door.

"Hidan?" came the sweet female voice.

"Sapira...," Hidan whispered, and the lust of a god flowed through him. He strutted to the door and cracked it open. "Yes, my dear?" he asked.

"Hidan? Do you have a sacrifice in there?" she asked.

"No," he said. "Come in, come in."

"Ryukmaru sent me to check on you," she said, entering. "He said you kinda freaked out at a meeting with Lord Jiro yesterday."

"I'm fine, I'm fine," said Hidan. "I was just frustrated, is all. Have you heard this new decree from Lord Jiro?"

"That he's not going to send any of our shinobi into war? Yes," she said.

"And what do you think of it?" he asked.

"Truly, I think it makes sense," said Sapira. "Although, I worry the Sand will resent us."

"Shinobi are warriors," said Hidan. "And war is sanctioned by Jashin to maintain balance between human populations."

"Ryukmaru says we are called to protect our own. That running off to foreign wars is folly, and a violation of the commandment against killing for pleasure," said Sapira.

"He would think that," said Hidan bitterly. "Why are so many religions so set on minimizing pleasure?"

"Well, Jashin does not prohibit all pleasures," said Sapira.

"Indeed not," said Hidan. "Sapira, have you given any more thought to your proposal?"

"My proposal?" she asked, then blushed. "Oh, that," she said. "Well, I remain barren, at any rate."

"I thought about it a lot, after you left that night. Took it to Jashin in prayer," he said.

"And did Jashin answer you?" she asked, pace quickening.

"He did," said Hidan.

"And?" she asked, approaching him.

Hidan wrapped his arm around her waist. "He said I shall be the progenitor of a new era of his chosen clan."

She searched his face, and saw that he was sincere. Tentatively, she placed her hands on his shoulders, his bare chest. "I must confess, I have desired this, for more than just the sake of a child," she whispered. "You have so much power, so much confidence, I couldn't help but..."

"Shhhhh," he scolded. "Your husband doesn't understand what he has in you. You are too smart for him, too pious for him, and far, far, too lovely for him. You shall be the mother of gods."

"Oh, Hidan!" she exclaimed, and brought her lips to his. He fell backwards in shock of her power, and stumbled to clear off the table he'd been writing on, as her lips traveled down his neck and over his torso. She pulled off her dress and sat on the table, pulling him into her.

Perhaps I am mortal after all, he thought.


	11. Zealot

Nine months later, Sapira had a son, and Ryukmaru named him Ryuki. Hidan and his parents hosted a meal at the tower to welcome the new heir to the Kuro clan. The strange little family was happy.

However, Atsumi couldn't sleep. A terrible thought had entered her brain, and it had made itself a home there. When she couldn't stand it any longer, she nudged Hiro awake. "Hiro," she murmured. "Hiro, I need to talk to you about something."

Hiro groaned. "Now?"

"Sorry," she said. "The thought occurred to me, and I couldn't sleep. Hiro, people have been disappearing from the hospital."

"Okay?" he asked. "Disappearing, how?"

"We don't know," she said. "They're all there during the day, and then they're abruptly gone the next day. Whatever is happening, it's happening at night."

"At night?" asked Hiro. "But Hidan's there at night. Have you talked to him about it?" Atsumi mumbled something. "Atsumi?" Hiro pressed.

"What if it is Hidan?" she said, and then she buried her head in her pillow in shame.

"Atsumi!" Hiro gasped, sitting upright. "How could you think such a thing?"

"He's changed, Hiro! I know you've noticed! Slowly, ever since he brought home that damned scroll from Ryukmaru, and now when I look into his eyes, I scarce recognize him."

"He's a zealot, Atsumi. We've always known that," said Hiro. "But to think he would...what exactly do you think he is doing with these patients?"

"Sacrifice," said Atsumi, like the word was a bitter drink she needed to spit out. "I believe that's the word they use."

He put his arm around her soothingly. "Do you hear yourself, Atsumi?" Hiro asked. "Do you hear the words that are coming out of your mouth? Do you hear how crazy you sound?"

"And is it any less crazy than stabbing yourself in the heart and declaring yourself immortal?" asked Atsumi. "Is it, Hiro?" He didn't answer. "Do you remember when Sogiya and Tenshi died?"

"How could I forget?" asked Hiro. "What, are you going to blame Hidan for that, too?"

"Hidan brought me the body of a woman he claimed planted the bomb, and she had a stab wound in the stomach. He told me she committed suicide."

"Yes, he told me the same," said Hiro.

"It was a spear wound," said Atsumi.

"So Hidan killed her," said Hiro. "So what?"

"So what? This is the same boy who refused to touch meat when we first brought him in. A boy I raised to be a healer. He's gone drunk with power, and I'm scared, Hiro," said Atsumi.

"Well, then," said Hiro, "we'll spy on him."

"Spy on him?" asked Atsumi. "You know he'll put on his best face if you or I are around."

Hiro considered their options for a moment. "The Saitos," he said. "They're masters of concealment. We'll have the Saitos watch him at the hospital. And if nothing happens, then will you let this go?"

"Yes," said Atsumi. "I'll seek out Aka tomorrow. She used to fight alongside Hidan. She knows his moves."

Atsumi found Aka Saito at one of the lower class resorts. She was floating on a lazy river, topless, smoking a cigarette.

"Heyyy," Aka said, lowering her sunglasses. "You're Hidan's mama, right? He never did you justice. You're stunning."

"Thank you, Aka," said Atsumi awkwardly. "How have you been?"

"I tell ya," said Aka, "this whole not going to war thing is pretty great." At the bar, two men started throwing punches. She jumped out of the river and pulled her dart gun out of a garter. "HEY HEY HEY HEY, KNOCK IT OFF, KNOCK IT OFF!" she barked, and then she blew paralyzing darts at them. They collapsed into the river. "Sorry, I gotta get that. I'm resort security," she said to Atsumi.

"Resort security?" Atsumi repeated incredulously as she watched Aka swim over to the two unconscious men and pull them out of the water. Then Atsumi laughed, wondering if this is what Hiro had meant about the Saitos being masters of concealment. Surely nobody would have suspected Aka was resort staff.

When Aka returned, she was more clothed (though not by much), and still had the cigarette in her fingers. "So what's up now?" Aka asked.

"I came to ask you a favor," said Atsumi. "Would you and some of your clan be interested in doing a job for Hiro and I? We'd pay you, of course."

"Ahhh," said Aka, interested. "Sure thing. What do you want us to do?"

* * *

Aka and Ikki arrived at the hospital at dusk when Atsumi's shift was ending. They observed Atsumi and Hidan embrace, and Hidan entered the hospital.

"I hate that guy so much," Ikki whispered.

"Don't let emotions cloud your observations, nephew," said Aka, slipping in through a window Atsumi had purposely left open. "And don't do anything stupid."

Ikki followed her, and she closed the window. They were in an empty hospital room. Ikki got in the bed and transformed himself into an older gentleman, and Aka bandaged him. "Okay, if you see anything, you know what to do." Like a chameleon, she blended into the walls and started patrolling the hospital.

She saw Hidan tending to various patients. Most of them were sleeping, so Hidan spent most of his time reading. Aka was prepared to call it a night when Hidan came upon Ikki's room.

"When did you get here?" Hidan asked Ikki.

"Huh?" said Ikki. "Oh, I, umm, I just checked in this afternoon."

Hidan flipped through his charts. "I don't see anyone recorded here. What did you come in for?"

"Blow to the head," said Ikki. "I've got a concussion."

"Oh, is that all?" asked Hidan. "Well, you should be ready to go by the morning. I'm surprised they kept you here, honestly. That must be why they didn't bother to put you in the record."

"Must be," said Ikki.

"Hm," said Hidan. "Sir, I wonder, if it's not too much of a bother, do you know about the Way of Jashin?"

"The Way of Jashin?" Ikki echoed. Of course Ikki had heard of it, but he couldn't blow his cover, so he said, "No, what is that?"

"Would you like to be immortal?" asked Hidan.

"Now there is a question," said Ikki. "I mean, I'm afraid of death, for sure, but-"

"Afraid of death?" Hidan asked. "Well, now why might that be?"

"What happens after death?" Ikki asked. "Do you know?"

"I must confess I do not," said Hidan, "but I trust in my Lord Jashin."

Ikki laughed. "You keep your religion. I'll focus on my life in the present day."

"You're a fool," Hidan muttered.

"I'm sorry?" asked Ikki. "I didn't insult you, sir, so I'd appreciate it if you left me be. Thanks."

Hidan grabbed Ikki and flung him over his shoulder. The shock of it caused Ikki to break his disguise. Hidan noticed the man shrink in his arms, and he put him back down. "YOU!" Hidan spat. "What are you doing?!"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Ikki exclaimed, releasing a smoke bomb from his pocket. Ikki used a substitution jutsu to escape in the haze.

"BRAT!" Hidan exclaimed. "What the fuck was he doing here?"

"Sir?" came a woman's voice. Hidan turned to see another patient peeking out of the next room. "Sir, could you please keep it down? I'm trying to sleep."

"Oh, you want me to keep it down?" Hidan asked with fake courtesy before knocking the woman out cold.

* * *

Aka met up with Ikki on the roof. "He tried to take me," Ikki confessed, breathing heavily. "He asked me weird questions about his religion, and when I told him to piss off, he tried to take me."

"Take you? Take you where?" asked Aka. "Was your cover blown?"

"Yes," he admitted sadly.

"Fuck!" cursed Aka, and then she pushed Ikki to the ground because Hidan had emerged from the hospital, carrying the woman over his shoulder. They concealed themselves and watched.

"Where is he taking her?" Ikki asked.

"He's going towards his house," said Aka. "This is bad, Ikki. And he saw you?" Ikki nodded. "Fuuuuck!"

"What do we do?" asked Ikki.

"He's moving slowly," said Aka. "I'm going to beat him to his house."

"And then?" asked Ikki.

"And then...you follow him. We'll have him cornered."

"Aunt Aka, I'm scared," said Ikki.

"So am I, but...fuck that guy," said Aka.

* * *

Hidan arrived at the front door of his house. He laid the woman's body down, unsheathed his scythe, and threw it into the bushes, forcing Ikki out.

"Ikki, Ikki, Ikki," Hidan scolded. "You were always arrogant, always reckless." He drew the head of the scythe back to him and examined it. "And not even skilled enough to dodge an obvious attack." He licked the spot of blood off the scythe. A blue circle glowed around Ikki, and Ikki found he couldn't move. Tears started pouring out of his eyes. "Still afraid of death, Ikki?" Hidan asked. "Do you know what restraint I had to maintain not to hurt you, even in that short time that you called me sensei? You will not be missed, Ikki." Hidan sheathed the scythe and pulled out his spear.

Aka had a katana. She slowly opened the front door while Hidan made the hand sign to activate the voodoo jutsu. As his body turned black and white, Aka thrust the katana through Hidan's neck. Hidan collapsed to his hands and knees in shock, and Aka saw Ikki lying lifeless on the grass in a pool of blood.

"IKKI!" she cried, running to him. "Oh shit, oh god, oh fuck, what have I done?"

"You killed him, Aka," Hidan hissed, placing his head back in place. She turned around, and through her tears she saw Hidan back on his feet. He handed her the katana. "We can do this the hard way or the easy way," he said.

Aka looked at Ikki, and her first instinct was to take the katana and thrust it through her gut. But then she looked at Hidan, and she was filled with such rage. "The hard way," she said.

"I would expect no less from you, dearest Aka," said Hidan.

Aka took the katana. "You realize you're done, right, Hidan? You kill one Saito, you'll have to kill all of us. And if you murder a clan, you're finished in Yugakure."

"I've been finished with Yugakure for a while now," said Hidan. He unsheathed his scythe. "Shall we?"

"Bring it on, kid," said Aka.

He threw his scythe, and she leaped into the tree. "So like a Saito to run away," Hidan mused. "Your fear is what prevents you from being a truly great shinobi." He followed her into the tree, and she thrust the katana through his eye, then punched him in the gut, and he fell. She filled the blow gun with a death dart she had specially made in the Land of Wind, tipped with the poison of the Shinigami Scorpion. She aimed it at him, but she had to dodge the head of his scythe. She leaped from the tree to the roof of his house. The scythe followed her, but she got out of range. When Hidan appeared on the roof, she hit him.

Hidan fell into a seizure. "You...fool..." he choked. "You're...wasting...your...time..."

She grabbed his scythe, and he grabbed the other end. They fumbled on the roof with the chord that held his scythe together. She wrapped it around his throat and kicked him off the roof. "DIE, FUCKER! DIE!" she shrieked, watching him dangle. "Ow!" The head of the scythe had sliced her hand. She sucked at the blood and looked at Hidan. "No way can he survive this," she said to herself. "His body's in too much trauma." Hidan's body went limp. She breathed in deeply, then dropped him and the scythe. She laid on the roof and looked up at the stars, crying. "I did it. I did it. Oh my god, I..." A blue circle appeared around her body. "Bloody hell."

She felt a sharp pain in her stomach, and one by one, the stars faded to black.


	12. Thou Shalt Kill

Atsumi was anxious. When no word had come from Aka last night, she'd sent out Hiro at first light to learn what was the matter. He came home shortly, and his eyes were red from crying. "Hiro?" she asked, taking him in her arms. He returned her embrace and sobbed. "Hiro?"

"I'm sorry!" he burst. "Oh, Atsumi, I'm so, so sorry!"

"It was Hidan?" she whispered.

"All of the Saitos are gone," Hiro said.

She stared into his eyes numbly. "What do you mean, gone?"

"There's no trace of them anywhere," he said.

"Aka and Ikki, just, disappeared?" Atsumi asked.

"Not just Aka and Ikki. _All_ of them," said Hiro. Atsumi nearly fainted at the news, and he carried her to the couch.

"Oh, Hiro, I'm going to be sick," she finally whispered. "How could we let this happen? What did we do wrong?"

"Stop," he said. "It's not our fault. It's nothing we did, or didn't do." He sat down beside her. "Atsumi, I'm going to get him. Obviously there's no direct evidence it was him, but..."

"Right," she muttered, becoming nauseous.

"If we can get the intel, he'll be executed." She cried out at the word, but she nodded, shaking. "If not," said Hiro, "I'll make sure he gets out of the country."

"Ryukmaru," Atsumi said suddenly.

"No one is gonna blame him," said Hiro. "I'll make sure of it." He kissed his wife and took his prized katana off the wall.

* * *

Ryukmaru completed a sacrifice. He laid the old woman gently onto the blanket and wrapped it, as his father had taught him, taking care to keep the body unharmed. As he was picking her up, he noticed a scroll lying underneath the table on the east wall. It was very unlike Hidan to leave one of their scrolls out of place. He wondered is Sapira had dropped it during cleaning. He laid the woman back on the ground and picked up the scroll, unraveled the scroll and recognized Hidan's handwriting.

 _The Way of Jashin_

 _Book IV_

 _The New Era_

 _A time came to pass when Death, the gift of Jashin, was viewed with fear and contempt, and this fear caused great suffering. People dared not speak of Death, and tried to avoid it at all costs. They fought against Death and against change and tried to preserve all things against the Way that Jashin had shown them long ago. Worse, Warriors feared to do their duty, and those who were not ordained to deliver sacrifice did perform them indiscriminately._

 _One of the worst of these was Hidan, a medical shinobi who feared Death so much that he bent his chakra to preserve his body always. Against all sicknesses and injury, his body would heal itself. And all the people worshipped Hidan for his talent._

 _Jashin saw this man and realized He had been cheated, so to punish Hidan for his crimes, He made it so that any time Hidan took a life, the length of that life was added onto the years Hidan must remain alive. In this way, Hidan was made immortal and became a god on Earth. And Jashin said unto Hidan, "I have been displeased with the work of my chosen people, and the suffering that exists in the world exceeds the suffering of the past tenfold. Henceforth, you shall carry out my will for all eternity and be the progenitor of a new era of Jashinists until I shall destroy this world, in my mercy._

 _"Record carefully these words, Hidan, my one and only chosen, for they shall be the new commandments for you and your followers, and burn the old, so that not one stroke of ink is recognizable."_

* * *

Hidan was asleep when the knock came at his door. He had had, after all, a very busy night.

"Fuck," he cursed, seeing the sun through the windows He threw on a pair of pants and opened the door. Hiro, Hayato, and other high ranking shinobi greeted him.

"Hidan, you're under arrest for the murder of the Saito clan," said Hiro. He spoke calmly and factually, as if Hidan were any other common criminal to him. "Come with us. No weapons."

"What evidence do you have?" Hidan asked, stepping back.

Hiro looked at Hayato. "Let me talk to him alone."

"Hiro, no," growled Hayato. "We'll talk to him in the court. I'm taking him in."

Hayato made a hand sign, but Hiro pushed it down. "I am still his father," said Hiro. Hayato glared at Hidan and nodded. "We'll be right here," said Hayato.

Hiro stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "Sit down, son," said Hiro. Hidan obeyed. "Hidan, you met Aka and Ikki at the hospital last night, during your shift."

"Where are these accusations coming from?" Hidan demanded, standing up.

"Sit down! These are not questions, son, these are facts!" Hiro shouted. "Hidan, it was Atsumi who asked the Saitos to follow you."

Hidan sat back down in shock. "Mom?"

"I told her she was crazy," said Hiro. "That it was awful to suspect our son was a monster. So can you imagine, Hidan, how it cut me, when I learned the entire Saito clan had disappeared over night?"

Hidan gripped the arm of the chair. "You still have no evidence I did anything wrong."

"Listen, Hidan," said Hiro, sitting down across from him. "However this ends today, whether we get the necessary evidence required to execute you or not, and I hope we do, Hidan-whatever gods there may be, I call upon them to help me-I hope you die today, because the other option is exile, and I shudder to think what horrors we would unleash onto the world if that should happen."

"And how do you propose to execute me, Dad?" asked Hidan.

"You will be bound by a sealing jutsu, gagged, weighted, and thrown into the depths of the ocean." Hidan gulped. "Ahhh, yes, that would do, wouldn't it?" Hiro said.

"You are sick," spat Hidan. "What kind of father-"

"Shut up!" Hiro spat. "You are the one who is sick!" Hiro got up and went to the door, and he felt a sharp pain in his back. He spun around, drawing his katana, and saw Hidan had his scythe. "You think you're gonna solve all your problems with murder, son?"

"It's been working for me so far, Dad," said Hidan, and he licked the scythe.

* * *

Ryukmaru rushed to the urn where the _Way_ was stored. Trembling, he lifted the lid, and looked inside. Seeing nothing, he tipped it over, and ash spilled over Ryukmaru's feet. He cried out, and his clenched fist crinkled the side of Hidan's scroll. With tears in his eyes, he flipped the parchment over, and read,

 _Thou shalt kill all who refuse to follow the Way. Thou shalt kill all who fear Death. Thou shalt make them suffer, so that they will beg for the gift and know the peace of Jashin. Thou shalt kill all who suffer. Thou shalt kill all who do not appreciate life. Thou shalt live to kill, for in sacrifice thou doth glorify Jashin and thyself. Thou shalt encourage all thy neighbors to become warriors and learn to kill well, and if they refuse, then thou shalt kill them. Thou shalt not discriminate when deciding whom to kill, for the gift of Jashin is for all._

Ryukmaru closed the scroll. "Hidan..," he whispered. He forgot the woman he'd sacrificed earlier. He picked up his scythe. "HIDAN!" he screamed.


	13. Everything Ends

When Ryukmaru descended the staircase in a rage, Atsumi was in the living room with Sapira and Ryuki.

"Ryukmaru!" Sapira exclaimed, meeting him at the bottom of the staircase. "Ryukmaru, Hidan's gone crazy. He murdered the Saitos."

"Run," Ryukmaru ordered.

"Run?" she repeated.

He gripped her tightly by the shoulders. "Take Ryuki, take Atsumi, take everyone you can find, and run. Get out of Yugakure. Get out of the country."

"Hiro went to arrest Hidan," said Atsumi.

"Then Hiro is dead," said Ryukmaru.

"Ryukmaru!" Sapira scolded. Ryukmaru turned from her and made for the door. She blocked him. "Ryukmaru, what are you doing? What are you saying?"

"He's the Black Messiah," said Ryukmaru. "Don't you understand? Ryuki is our only hope. As long as he lives, we're going to make it. Raise him in the Way. Make a life for yourself outside this village." He kissed her.

"What are you saying, Ryukmaru?" repeated Sapira. "Where are you going?"

"Don't wait for me, love," said Ryukmaru. He departed. It has to be me, he thought. If there's any chance to stop him, it has to be me.

Ryukmaru arrived at Hidan's house. It was dark and silent. Maybe they succeeded in sealing him, he thought. He looked up at the blood red sky as the sun was dipping below the horizon, breathed in, and pulled at the doorknob. It swung open for him easily. He slashed his scythe through the doorway, but nobody was there. Slowly, he entered. All the lights were off. Only the red light from the sun through the windows lit the home. The light fell upon a door next to the kitchen, a door marked with the Kuro crest. Hidan's sacrifice room. Ryukmaru walked towards it and pulled on the doorknob. Like the front door, this too was unlocked.

There were no windows in the sacrifice room, so he fumbled for a switch. Then he remembered the switch was hanging from the center of the room, so he waved his hand in front of his face until he found it and pulled.

His stomach gave a lurch.

At first, he thought the walls had simply been painted red. He willed it to be so, but it was not so. The walls were splattered with blood. New blood, old blood, layers and layers of blood. It was on the ceiling, on the ground. He started to hyperventilate. The now silenced screams of the dying rang in his ears.

"Oh, Hidan," Ryukmaru whispered. "What darkness drove you to this?"

The door slammed behind him, and he jumped. Hidan stood before him, his eyes piercing, cold. "Why are you here, Ryukmaru?" he asked.

Ryukmaru drew his scythe and poised for battle. "I have a sacrifice to make," he said.

"A sacrifice?" asked Hidan. "I see no sufferers here."

"I'm here as a Warrior, Hidan," said Ryukmaru. "To protect my clan. To protect my people. This is my purpose."

Hidan drew his scythe. "You can't win this fight, Ryukmaru."

"That's fine," said Ryukmaru. "You don't scare me. I don't fear death."

"Nor do I," said Hidan.

"Oh, I think you fear it the most of all," said Ryukmaru. "Anti-Jashin."

Hidan's eyes widened. "How dare you call me that, blasphemer!"

Hidan and Ryukmaru clashed. Hidan's scythe wrapped around the handle of Ryukmaru's, and Ryukmaru was forced to the ground. Ryukmaru swung the blade of his scythe around and nicked Hidan's ankle. "Ha!" he shouted, drawing it towards him. The head of Hidan's scythe swung towards Ryukmaru, and Ryukmaru failed to dodge it while he was trying to untangle his scythe from Hidan's.

Both of the combatants rushed away from each other, licked their scythes, and thrust their hands to the sky. "FOR JASHIN!" they shouted simultaneously. Both of their skins changed to the black and white skeleton pattern.

"Life Drain Jutsu!" Ryukmaru shouted.

The blue circles that surrounded both of them started spinning rapidly. Ryukmaru felt the life force from Hidan pulling into him. Hidan took his spear and stabbed himself. Ryukmaru felt the wound pierce his heart and then close again. Hidan stabbed more vigorously, and Ryukmaru kneeled over from the pain, but again and again the wounds healed on his body the same as they healed on Hidan.

"Your own jutsu is healing me," Ryukmaru declared. "As I absorb your soul, your jutsu is repairing my body."

"Then I'll have to take it back," said Hidan. "Life Drain Jutsu!"

The two circles converged as the power of the jutsu throbbed back and forth between the two users. Hidan looked at Ryukmaru, and he thought for a moment he saw Sogiya. He shook his head. Ryukmaru's visage was transforming, and he was every head of the Kuro clan, all the way back to Ryuk, and for a brief moment, Hidan was staring into the eyes of Jashin.

A force knocked them both to their feet, and the circle faded. Their bodies returned to normal. They breathed deeply and locked eyes.

"It seems we cannot kill each other this way," said Ryukmaru.

"Then we will have to do this the traditional way," said Hidan. "A classic shinobi battle." He tossed his scythe aside.

Ryukmaru did likewise. "You know, Hidan, despite everything, I still consider you my best friend." He laughed. "How fucked up is that?"

"Then don't do this, Ryukmaru. Join me. Think of what we could accomplish together," said Hidan.

"We could have accomplished many great things," said Ryukmaru. "We did. But we no longer share the same vision."

"That's a shame," said Hidan.

"Indeed," said Ryukmaru, drawing a kunai.

Hidan replaced the spear and drew his kunai as well. There was no need to speak further. They rushed at each other, and the kunai clanked.

"You won't win this," said Hidan. "My wounds will heal. You can't fight as fiercely without dying."

He was right. Ryukmaru was spending much more energy dodging blows, whereas Hidan just allowed himself to be stabbed.

"If taking you down means I die, then that's a sacrifice I'll gladly make," Ryukmaru said. He came at Hidan with full force, knocking Hidan to the ground. Ryukmaru slashed indiscriminately at Hidan, and Hidan jabbed the kunai straight into Ryukmaru's gut. Ryukmaru coughed blood into Hidan's face. Hidan thrust the kunai deeper, deeper, and Ryukmaru didn't stop until he could no longer move. He fell forward, his body smothering Hidan's face.

Hidan pushed Ryukmaru off him, then removed the bloody rags that were once his shirt. "What a waste," Hidan said, coughing blood as his wounds healed. "You fool. What did you actually think you were going to accomplish?"

"My family will be safe," said Ryukmaru.

"You are the last Kuro," said Hidan. "Your family is done."

"As we fought, Sapira and Ryuki have left the village," said Ryukmaru. "Ryuki lives. My son. The last Kuro."

"Ryuki is not your son," said Hidan. Ryukmaru coughed and shook his head. "Sapira was distraught that she couldn't conceive by you, so she came to me. She desired me, Ryukmaru. Ryuki is mine. Sapira is mine. Your clan is mine. Your religion is-" Ryukmaru started to laugh. "Do you hear me, Ryukmaru?" Hidan demanded.

"In a foreign land he shall lie, in shadow and flame, and there the Way of Jashin doth die," Ryukmaru whispered.

"What?" Hidan asked.

"I get it now. It's so simple," said Ryukmaru. "Oh, Hidan, it's beautiful."

"I don't think you heard me, Ryukmaru. You lost. You lost _everything_ ," said Hidan.

"It doesn't matter," said Ryukmaru. "Everything ends, Hidan." Hidan tried to get up, but Ryukmaru grasped him by the arm. "Everything ends. Love. Family. Religion. This world. Everything. Everything ends except...the truth. The truth lives on despite everything, whether we know it or not. It's always there."

"You're talking nonsense," said Hidan.

"Neither you nor I can win. Nobody ever wins," said Ryukmaru.

"What do you mean?" Hidan demanded. Ryukmaru simply smiled back at him. "Ryukmaru. Friend. Please." He bent over his friend. "Ryukmaru...Ryukmaru..." He checked for a pulse, but Ryukmaru was cold. Hidan pushed healing chakra into him. "Ryukmaru!" he cried. Tears fell onto the corpse. Hidan sobbed. He picked up his friend and cradled him. "Oh, Jashin..."

* * *

Hidan carried Ryukmaru back to the Kuro tower. All was silent within. Sapira must have left as Ryukmaru had suggested. It mattered not to Hidan now. His bloodlust, for the moment, had been satisfied. He took the staircase down instead of up, to the Kuros' crypt, and there, among the sarcophagi of Ryukmaru's ancestors, Hidan laid his friend to rest.

Hidan retrieved the only remaining book of _The Way of Jashin,_ his book, the fourth, and he retrieved the jutsu scrolls. He took these back to his blood-stained sacrifice room. He grabbed a bag to pack his things, but then decided he needed nothing else but his scythe and a roll of paper bombs.

He returned to the Kuro tower one last time, and carefully, he lined the base of the tower with them.

"Oh, I am damned," he whispered as he walked away. He made a hand sign, and the bombs ignited and history crumbled behind him.


End file.
